


Soul Dogs

by uzai_sagi



Category: Soul Eater, 文豪ストレイドッグス | Bungou Stray Dogs
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soul Eater Fusion, Because they are both weapons, Chuuya as Akutagawa's mentor, Dazai-Typical Suicide Attempts (Bungou Stray Dogs), Dazai-Typical Suicide Mentions (Bungou Stray Dogs), Dazai-Typical Suicide References (Bungou Stray Dogs), Death Scythe Chuuya, Demon Snow as a Human, Demon Weapon Akutagawa, Depends on how far this goes, Established Relationship, Golden Demon as a Human, Hey just because it's a crossover doesn't mean he's not the same Dazai, I Don't Even Know, M/M, Meister Atsushi, Meister Dazai, Mutual Pining, Pining Akutagawa, Pining Atsushi, Possessive Dazai Osamu (Bungou Stray Dogs), Seriously someone get these fools to confess, Skk and Sskk are the main ships, Thirsty Dazai Osamu (Bungou Stray Dogs), Whipped Dazai, Will I add more ships?, Witch Nakajima Atsushi, protective akutagawa
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-01-16 23:57:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 50,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21256538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uzai_sagi/pseuds/uzai_sagi
Summary: Atsushi Nakajima is a young Meister with witch blood in his veins, working hard to stop Kishins and helping make his weapon partner, Ryuunosuke Akutagawa, become a powerful Death Scythe. With the help of their mentors, Dazai and Chuuya, both learn to work together and help their souls resonate.Just when are they going to admit their feelings for each other already?OrThe Soul Eater AU no one asked for, but you got it anyway
Relationships: Akutagawa Ryuunosuke/Nakajima Atsushi (Bungou Stray Dogs), Dazai Osamu/Nakahara Chuuya (Bungou Stray Dogs)
Comments: 106
Kudos: 298





	1. The Witch Boy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Yellow_Canna](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yellow_Canna/gifts).

> Yo
> 
> How's it going?
> 
> It's Halloween. And I thought, why not give you guys a special Halloween gift like a BSD x Soul Eater crossover?
> 
> Leave a comment. Leave a kudo. Even bookmark if you want.
> 
> Just so you know...
> 
> Happy Halloween! 🎃

It was at the hour of midnight. The streets were empty and lit by the light posts that were aligned on the sidewalks to guide people that dared attempt to walk around at night. If one looked above the city, they could see the moon and its bloody smile, giving a slight snicker as he watched everyone down below.

But while there are sometimes innocent bystanders roaming the dark streets, there are also monsters lurking around.

An unsuspecting woman was strolling down the sidewalk before making a turn to the alley, seemingly taking the way home. Behind her was a deformed creature lurking in the shadows and stalking its prey. It had razor sharp claws and sharp teeth, a pointed nose and empty eye sockets. The woman felt something creep behind her, and turned around. But upon turning, the creature swiped its claws across her body, killing her instantly.

After the killing blow, a small blue soul floated up from her body and the creature grabbed it and gave it an inspection. Seemingly satisfied, the creature opened its mouth and swallowed the soul up. It felt a rush of power after swallowing a soul before crawling away.

“You see it?”

“Yeah. It’s a Kishin soul.”

The creature stopped when it heard voices behind it and turned to see two young men. One of them had silver hair with a rather uneven haircut while the other was raven black with silver tips at the side bangs.

“It is regrettable that we weren’t able to save the soul he swallowed in time,” the raven haired boy said, having his hands in his long black coat. “Devouring an innocent human soul is how someone like him becomes a full fledged Kishin.” Silver eyes narrowed as the creature licked its tongue across the claws. “If you really think about it, this creature is a weapon in its own way.” He stretched his arm out. “However, I think you and I can both agree that I am a far superior weapon compared to this creature. Eh, Jinko?”

Yellow-purple eyes glinted as the raven haired boy’s arm turned into a black blade and reached out with a black fingerless gloved hand to grab the other’s unchanged hand. Upon being touched, the rest of the raven haired boy started glowing red and he began to transform into a shape of a weapon within the other boy’s grasp.

“Yeah, Ryuu, we both agree on that,” the silver haired boy said as he twirled the weapon around before the light faded with reveal a black scythe. He narrowed his eyes at the monster. "Serial killer, Jack the Ripper. Your soul is mine!"

The monster roared before running towards the boy and swinging its claws at him. The boy swung his scythe in order to block the attacks, twirling it occasionally in order to keep the claws at bay. 

"Rashomon!" The silver haired boy yelled before a black tendril shot out from the scythe and took a huge chomp out of the creature's arm, making it scream out in pain before the tendril threw it up in the air. "Now… Time to catch our 99th soul!" He gave a battle cry as he leapt into the air before swinging his scythe and slicing through the creature.

Instead of being split to pieces, the creature turned black before it spread into ribbons and then became a glowing red orb. The tendril grabbed the red orb before swallowing it up.

The scythe gave a sigh of relief before it transformed back into the black haired boy.

"I appreciate the meal, Atsushi," he said, hands in his coat pocket.

"No problem, Akutagawa," the silver haired boy, Atsushi, said with a bright smile. "We've finally caught our 99th Kishin soul!"

The raven haired boy, Akutagawa, gave a scowl. "What have I told you?" He asked, making other boy flinch. "You… You can…" Akutagawa looked down at the ground, a pink blush appearing on his cheeks. "You can call me by my given name when we're alone…"

Atsushi blushed at that, but he gave a shy grin in return. "Okay…"

_ It feels like it's been only yesterday since I came this far as a Meister. Ever since I was picked up from the streets, a lot has changed for me. _

* * *

_ A few months ago _

How would one describe their life? Well, it solely depended on how the person views their life at the current situation.

Right now, someone could be living a good life; living in a nice home with a loving family, having a nice dinner. You could call that a good life, right?

Atsushi had no such life.

No, Atsushi's like is currently that of being homeless and starving to death. After recently being kicked out of the orphanage, he roamed around the streets with no money to his name, trying to find shelter and coming up empty handed. He stood by the river with a look of exhaustion, and his stomach growled furiously. It had been a few days since he last ate something. He could really go for some chazuke right now.

His mind drifted to the cruel words of the people at the orphanage.

_ "No one wants a freeloader like you!" _

_ "The world would be a better place if you died in a ditch somewhere!" _

"Now way," he mumbled to himself with a look of determination. "I'm not going to die like this. I'm going to do everything it takes to survive and mug the next person I see!"

He froze when he caught sight of a pair of legs sticking out of the water and floating around. Atsushi tried so hard to ignore it, but the urge to go and save that person from drowning was too strong, so he ended up jumping into the river and dragging that person back onto land. Atsushi took several deep breaths of air before inspecting the body beside him. It was a young man with messy brown hair and a tanned and a tanned cost and bandages. He looked to be in his early twenties, and had ivory skin. To add to his choice of wardrobe, he was wearing a light blue button up with a black vest and beige pants, along with brown shoes.

Atsushi yelped when the man opened up his eyes to reveal a brown color, and the man slowly sat back up with a look of astonishment.

"Umm... I guess you don't really need to thank me for helping you out--"

"Tch!"

_ 'Did he just scoff!?' _

The brunette got up from his position on the ground. “Tell me,” he said. “Are you the one who interrupted my submersion?”

“Submersion?” Atsushi asked nervously.

“Yeah. As you can see, I was trying to kill myself.”

“Suicide!?”

“Yep,” the brunette said, turning to the younger man. “I had jumped into this river to happily have my soul be whisked away to the afterlife.” He glared down at the boy. “But then you just had to interfere and ruin my day.” He then gave a sad sigh. “Although, now that I think about it, it would’ve been ten times better if my darling just joined me. It would’ve been a romantic double suicide~”

Atsushi sweat dropped at that. Was this guy a lunatic?

“But since you saved me, I guess I better give you something in return,” the older man said. “So, is there anything I can do for you?”

The silver haired boy’s stomach growled at this.

"..... Are you perhaps hungry?"

"Yeah," Atsushi groaned as his stomach growled again.

"How quaint," the man said. "I'm also hungry."

The boy brightened at this. "What a coincidence! Then maybe we could--"

"Unfortunately, the river has taken my wallet."

He groaned again when the stranger pulled out his empty pockets to show that his wallet was gone and only frogs left the pockets.

“Well, mind telling me your name?” the brunette asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I’m Atsushi Nakajima,” Atsushi groaned. “And I--”

“SO THIS IS WHERE YOU WENT, YOU BLOCKHEAD!!”

Both men turned to see a blond man on the other side of the river. “Oh, hey, you found me!” the brunette called, giving a small wave. “Nice work, Kunikida-kun!”

“Found you!?” the blonde man, Kunikida, yelled back. “Do you have any idea how you’ve thrown me off of my schedule, you suicidal maniac!?”

Atsushi blinked at Kunikida before he looked at the stranger as he snapped his fingers. “Oh, hey! Here’s an idea! This guy is a colleague of mine from work,” he said with a casual smile. “He can treat you to lunch!”

“Are you even listening to me!?” Kunikida yelled. 

“So is there anything in particular you’d like to eat?”

Atsushi hesitated a bit before answering. “Well, if it isn’t too much trouble… I would really like some chazuke.”

The brunette stared at him before giving an amused chuckle. “Well, if that’s what you want, then Kunikida will gladly treat you to some chazuke!”

“Hey, don’t go throwing my money on your whims!!” Kunikda shouted angrily “I don’t know how you even have a lover when he’s gotta deal with your nonsense, _ Dazai!! _”

The silver haired boy blinked. “Dazai…?”

“Yep,” the stranger said with a smile. “That’s my name. Nice to meet you, my new friend. My name is Osamu Dazai.”

* * *

_ Present _

“We better report to Lord Death about our success!”

“It took you that long to finally remember?”

“Shut up!” Atsushi yelled as he jogged to a nearby window before stopping in front of it. With a smile, he breathed hot air on the glass to fog it up before writing on the window. “42-42-564… When you wanna open Death’s door…”

Ripples appeared upon the glass before it glowed brightly.

“Hello, Lord Death! Atsushi Nakajima reporting for duty!”

The glowing stopped to reveal a room with red Torii gates at the end and a blue sky with clouds. “Hello, Meister Atsushi!” greeted a silly voice of a cloaked figure with a cartoon skull mask. “How have you been? You’ve called to bring good news I hope.”

“Yes, sir,” the silver haired boy said with a smile. “We’ve just recently caught our 99th Kishin soul!”

“Oh, that’s wonderful!” Lord Death said in glee. “My, my, you and Akutagawa are quite a formidable team, just like your mentors!”

“Damn right,” said an approaching young man with orange hair covered by a black fedora. His long black coat flowed a bit as he approached the mirror on the other side. He gave the two a warm smile as he used a gloved finger to tip his hat back a bit. “Good job, you two. Only one more soul to go, and Akutagawa here will become a Death Scythe.” His blue eyes shifted to Akutagawa. “I’m looking forward to seeing you take my place beside Lord Death pretty soon.”

Akutagawa blushed at the praise and looked at the ground. “Thank you, Chuuya-san,” he said almost shyly. “That means a lot…”

“Oh, darling!” Dazai cried out, popping up from behind the ginger and wrapping his arms around him to cuddle. “You’re such a mom to our pupils~” He nuzzled his face into Chuuya’s hair, knocking off the hat in the process. “Why can’t I just put a baby in you already~?”

“First off, that’s not biologically possible!” Chuuya growled as he pushed Dazai’s face away. “Second, don’t go saying that shit in public!”

The brunette gasped dramatically. "Chuuya~! How could you say that!? Don't you know how adorable our little darlings will be!?"

"Shut up, you shitty mackerel!!!" The ginger yelled, tick marks appearing on his head and his face blushing furiously.

Dazai sighed. "My chibi is such a tsundere, but that's why I love him~" he said before smiling at their two pupils. "But seriously, you two have done an excellent job."

Atsushi beamed. "Thank you, Dazai-san!"

“Now that you have obtained 99 Kishin souls,” Lord Death said, “all that is left is the soul of either a Witch or Warlock.” Both Meister and Weapon listened carefully. “Please keep in mind that this particular soul is very tricky to obtain. Many Meisters have lost their lives to a Witch and Warlock. You must be careful, especially you, Atsushi. You may have witch blood in your veins, but that doesn't mean a witch won't try and kill you."

"I understand, Lord Death," the silver haired boy said seriously.

“That means that you have to protect him with everything you have as his partner, Akutagawa,” Chuuya said seriously.

The scythe weapon scoffed. “Please, I can protect the witch boy with just a pinky,” he said.

“Who are you calling a witch boy!?” Atsushi yelled angrily.

“Who else am I calling a witch boy?”

“At least I don’t go around dressing like dracula!!”

The vein on Akutagawa’s head popped in anger and he glared. “What did you just say, you stupid cat!?”

“You heard me!!”

Chuuya squeezed the bridge of his nose with a sigh as the two bickered while Lord Death sweat dropped at the display.

"God, I don't even know if they're worse than we were at that age," the ginger mumbled.

"We were pretty bad," Dazai chuckled before wrapping his arms around the petite Death Scythe. "But we always made up at the end of the day~"

Chuuya flinched when his lover blew on his neck while the familiar hands started massaging his sides and growled. "How many times have I told you… Quit molesting me at work!!"

The brunette screamed as his short love headbutted his chin and stumbled back. "Chibi, you know I hate pain!" He whined.

The ginger scoffed. "So damn annoying…"

The reaper sweat dropped again before looking at their pupils. "I believe we've kept you long enough," he said. "Remember, don't let your guard down with any witch or warlock, understand?"

Both Meister and Weapon had stopped bickering earlier when their mentors were having their own scuffle and turned serious when Lord Death addressed them. "Yes sir!" Atsushi said. "We'll be sure to contact you again on our success!"

"Good luck, you two!" Lord Death said. He heard sniffling and turned to see Dazai being dramatic as he cried anime tears in the corner. "You know, Chuuya, he really is annoying…"

Chuuya huffed in agreement as he picked up his hat and placed it back on his head and glared at the bandaged man.

"Chuuya!! You told me you loved me!!" Dazai cried dramatically.

A tick mark formed at the top of his mask and pulled out his giant hand from his cloak as Lord Death growled.

_ CHOP _

"If you don't shut up, I'm going to use my Reaper Chop to split your head open!" He yelled.

As a result of the chop, Dazai laid on his front with swirls for eyes and a giant dent on his head. "It'd be more effective if you warned somebody before doing it, sir…" he groaned.

"What an idiot," the ginger mumbled.

* * *

_ Past _

_ Inside a tea house _

“This is a waste of time,” Kunikida grumbled. “We’re in the middle of an important mission, and you have me going around only to find you jumping into rivers and making me feed some homeless kid? Now I’m going to have to redo the whole schedule.”

“You’re so obsessed with your schedules, Kunikida-kun,” Dazai said as Atsushi chowed down on his fourteenth bowl of chazuke.

“These aren’t just schedules!” the blonde yelled as he slammed his book onto the table. “These are my ideals! My aspirations! My compass of life! They don’t say that my coworker should be a suicidal maniac!”

“Heesssshhh twwd klllnn hmsuff befuuu,” the silver haired boy asked with his mouth full.

“And they certainly don’t say ‘go feed a snot nosed brat some chazuke when we’re in the middle of a job’!” Kunikida yelled again.

“Wmmmp mugmm juu bum?”

“And now he’s asking questions!”

Dazai looked between the two in wonder. “How are you two communicating…”

After the fifteenth bowl, Atsushi sighed in relief. "Ah, that was good," he said happily. "I couldn't eat another bite."

Kunikida growled. "You just better be grateful, since you ate all of this on my dime!"

“But really, thanks a lot,” the silver haired boy said with a sad smile. “You see, I came to Yokohama after I got kicked out of the orphanage, and I haven’t eaten for days since then.”

Both men were surprised at this. “You’re from an orphanage?” Dazai asked boldy.

“I used to be,” Atsushi answered.

“Quite a bit ruthless for an orphanage,” the brunette hummed.

“That’s not our problem, Dazai,” Kunikida sighed. “We’re not a charity, so his situation really doesn’t concern us.”

“... If you’re not a charity, then what kind of job do you have?” the yellow-purple eyed boy asked.

The bandaged gave a proud smirk. “We’re Meisters,” he said.

“Meisters?”

“Yes,” the blonde answered. “More specifically, we’re with Death Weapon Meister Academy.”

Atsushi gaped in shock. _ ‘Death Weapon Meister Academy? I’ve heard about it! It’s an academy built to train Meisters and Demon Weapons who deal with cases involving monsters called Kishin, and occasionally deals with witches and warlocks, too!’ _ He eyed the two men warily. _ ‘But are these guys really from such an incredible place like that?’ _

Dazai looked up and his eyes sparkled at the beam above Atsushi. “Oh, look at that beam up there!” he said in excitement.

“Don’t even think about it, Dazai,” Kunikida warned with a glare. “You’re not hanging yourself in the middle of a tea house.”

The brunette gave him an offended look. “What are you talking about?” he asked. “I’m thinking about the hanging health technique.”

“Hanging health technique?”

“You’ve never heard of it? It’s really good for helping relax your muscles when you’re under stress!”

“Oh, that sounds perfect for me!”

“Hurry! Write it down!”

“Got it!” the blonde man opened up his book and began to write it down. “The best relief for stress… is the hanging health… technique…”

“I’m messing with you,” the brunette said.

With a snap of his pen, Kunikida became enraged and started to strangle the bandaged man. Atsushi was starting to question if these people really were Meisters, considering how ridiculous they act.

"And you wonder why everyone says you're uptight, Kunikida."

Both men stopped their shenanigans and Dazai's eyes lit up with hearts as both he and Kunikida recognized that voice.

"Chuuya~!" The brunette cheered. "Did you come just for me~?"

"You wish," Chuuya scoffed as he approached the table. "I'm here because Lord Death figured that you would make Kunikida scream his lungs out and have him strangle you during your mission_ again. _ So he asked me to go and keep you in line."

"Lord Death is so mean," the bandaged man whined.

"If you didn't act like such a child, he wouldn't have to be," Kunikida scoffed.

Atsushi stared at the ginger for a bit, noting that the person was short but also very pretty, and Dazai realized the kid was asking a silent question. "Ah, right! Chuuya, meet Atsushi Nakajima," he introduced the two men, pulling Chuuya into his lap. "Atsushi, this is my precious darling, Chuuya Nakahara~"

Chuuya groaned as Dazai cuddled him. "Seriously, Dazai?" He said. "Now is not the time for this."

“Um… so are you a Meister as well?” the silver haired boy asked, sweat dropping at the brunette’s behavior toward the ginger.

“Nope,” the petite male answered. “I’m a demon weapon.”

“A weapon?”

“He’s not just any weapon,” Kunikida added, pushing his glasses against the bridge of his nose. “He’s a Death Scythe. More specifically Lord Death's weapon."

"Lord Death!?" Atsushi yelled. "As in the Grim Reaper himself!?"

"Yep," Chuuya said with a proud grin. "The big reaper himself."

"But if you're his Death Scythe, shouldn't you be with him right now?"

"He doesn't exactly need me there with him 24/7. Even if he did, the idiot holding me hostage would just keep following me, and I’d rather not stress him out with said idiot’s bullshit.”

“Chuuya!” Dazai cried. “Why are you being so mean to me!?”

“I’m not being mean,” Chuuya said. “I’m just telling the truth.”

Atsushi sweatdropped as he watched the brunette whine some more. “So um, what mission are you guys on anyway?” he asked.

“We came from Death City to Yokohama because there were reports of a tiger being sighted here,” Kunikida answered. "The tiger was seen prowling the streets occasionally, but as we did further investigation, we found traces of magic. So we're to believe that this tiger is actually a witch.”

All three men blinked when the kid fell to the ground from the chair, looking scared out of his mind and ready to make a run for it.

“Hey, kid, you okay?” Chuuya asked in concern.

"Umm, yeah, I'm fine!" Atsushi said nervously. “Thank you so much for the food, but I guess I should get going now!”

Kunikida narrowed his eyes at Atsushi as the boy tried to crawl away and swiftly got up and grabbed him by the collar of his tattered shirt and picked him up.

“Oi! Kunikida!” Chuuya scolded. “Why are you holding him like that!?”

“Because it appears that this kid knows more than he lets on,” the blonde said. “What do you know about this witch, kid?”

Atsushi gulped. “I thought it was just a regular tiger… but it turns out, a witch is after me! She's been chasing me ever since I got kicked out and came here!"

Dazai and Chuuya looked at each other as Atsushi started running in the air, both having a silent conversation with one another. Kunikida sighed before releasing the boy and then pinning him to the ground.

“Listen, kid, we’re going to be asking you a few questions,” the blonde said seriously. “And you better answer them truthfully."

The blonde saw a hand grip his wrist and looked up to see the petite Death Scythe glaring down at him. "Asking questions?" He said. "With you, it's always interrogations. You've been told not to treat everything as an interrogation, Kunikida." Chuuya loosened his grip so that he wouldn't crush the Meister's wrist. "Let me do the talking. The kid's scared out of his mind."

_ 'How did he get here so fast!?' I didn't even see him move from Dazai's lap!' _Atsushi thought.

Kunikida looked at Chuuya as the latter's eyes softened a little before relenting and releasing the boy.

_ 'My darling is so cute when he's holding Kunikida back~' _Dazai couldn't help but think.

The ginger nodded before kneeling down beside the boy. "Okay, what is it that you know about this witch?" He asked with a gentle tone of voice.

"She came around two weeks ago and started terrorizing the orphanage," Atsushi answered as he sat up with a bitter look on his face. "She ruined our vegetable garden, desimated our chicken coop, and ate all of our food supply. The orphanage was already on a tight budget, so I got kicked out so that they had one less mouth to feed. It's all her fault that I'm homeless now! I don't even know why she's after me, I didn't do anything to her!"

The couple looked at each other again for a moment before the ginger spoke up. “How long has it been since you last saw that witch?” he asked.

“Four days ago,” the silver haired boy answered.

"That makes sense," Kunikida said as he looked at his notebook. "The traces of magic was sighted exactly four days ago."

“Hmmm… Hate to say this but… we’re going to need to use you as bait.”

“What!?”

“Look, if what you’re saying is true, and this witch has beef with you, then the only way to lure her in is expecting her to get a hold of your scent and come after you. Once that’s done, we’ll be there to catch her and bring her in.”

“Ah, my chibikko is being smart for once~” the brunette swooned, which earned him an elbow to the gut from Kunikida, to which the ginger was grateful for.

“B-but I don’t want the witch to get me!” Atsushi cried in dismay.

“Trust me, kid, you’ll be fine so long as we’re close by,” Chuuya said.

The silverette looked at Dazai for help, but the bandaged man only smiled.

“He’s right, Atsushi,” he said. “The only way to get to that witch is to make her come to us by having you lure her in. My darling is right on that mark, along with the fact that you’ll be protected."

Atsushi stared at them before shaking his head. “Nah-ah! There’s no way I’m doing it!” he said.

Dazai sighed. “That’s too bad, since there’s a reward for the witch’s capture~”

Chuuya raised an eyebrow at his lover when the silver haired kid flinched at the mention of a reward. _ ‘Sneaky bastard,’ _he thought to himself, but yet he still loved the fucker.

“No way!” Atsushi yelled as he turned away. “You’re not using a stupid bribe to get me to do it!” He snuck a peek as the bandaged man pulled out a calculator and started typing on it. “But… if I do somehow accept this… What exactly is the reward for the witch?”

Dazai gave a smug look before showing the amount to the boy, his hair stood up in shock at the amount.

“You sleazy bastard,” Chuuya mumbled.

* * *

In the dead of night, both Dazai and Atsushi sat within a warehouse to wait for the witch as planned. Kunikida went off to get backup, and Chuuya sat outside and waited for the witch to come.

“Do you think this will really work?” Atsushi asked.

“Well, you did say that the witch was coming after you for the past two weeks,” Dazai explained. “Chuuya brought up a valid point that you were the only one that could lure in the witch, even though he really isn’t much for planning.” He sighed dreamily. “But I still love my darling chibikko~”

The silver haired boy sweat dropped at that before looking down. “It’s no use,” he said. “Maybe I should just let the witch get me.” The brunette looked up. “There’s no point in any of this. I have no home, no friends, no family… For once, I’d like to be apart of something. All I’ve ever been told is how useless I am and that I wasn’t worthy of living.”

Dazai had a blank look before getting up from the crate he was standing on. “Atsushi, did you ever wonder why they kicked you out?” he asked.

Atsushi became confused. “Um…. no?”

“Well, say that something, or in this case _ someone, _turned out to be very special amongst all of the other children in one orphanage,” Dazai explained. “No orphanage would just kick a person out just so that they could be sacrificed to a witch. There has to be a more plausible explanation. They kicked you out because a witch started ransacking the orphanage, and had to get rid of someone to avoid having to feed too many mouths.” He jumped down from the crate. “But why did they throw you out specifically?”

Atsushi started to become very confused before feeling the light of the full moon fall on him through the window and he looked up at it.

“Perhaps, they knew something about you far more than you expected. They probably sensed a bad omen among the children in the orphanage, and by that, they probably found traces of magical activity. And out of fear, they had to cast that child out upon realizing that they were carrying a witch in their orphanage.”

Atsushi suddenly started to feel a strange rush as he felt himself transforming with a blue aura surrounding him.

“You know, when Chuuya and I look at each other from time to time, we both come up with pretty interesting conclusions. Why else would a tiger witch be in the same place as you at the same time?” Dazai grew serious as the boy started screaming as he transformed. “It’s because, Atsushi… _ You’re a witch. _”

After that explanation, Atsushi transformed into a white tiger, and he growled at Dazai with killing intent.

“It looks like the only thing you can do as a witch is transform into your respected animal theme,” the brunette said observantly. “I’m surprised the orphanage had kept you in the dark about your heritage for this long.”

The tiger growled again before roaring as it chased Dazai and slashed many other crates in the warehouse. The Meister simply jumped away repeatedly.

“Would you like to know a secret?” Dazai asked as he dodged the tiger’s various attempts to strike him. “I knew you were a witch from the very start. You see, Meisters are capable of a technique called Soul Perception.”

_ Back at the tea shop, Dazai stared at Atsushi as the boy explained his situation. His brown eyes glowed a little as he took a look at the boy’s soul. _

“Soul Perception is an ability that allows the Meister to get a glance at another person’s soul. Your soul just so happened to have tiger ears and a tail. Sometimes, a witch’s soul can have the appearance of their respective animal theme, depending on the witch herself, or _ himself _in your case. Some people might say you’re actually a warlock, but your ability was inherited by a witch. Magic is in your blood either way, no matter what they call you. Might as well call you ‘witch boy’.”

Dazai skidded back and stopped when he hit the wall. “Well, well, looks like you’ve backed me into a corner,” he said as he looked at the growling tiger. “Although, it’s interesting that you act just like a beast in this form. Must mean that you have no control over your magic.”

The tiger only growled again before he lunged at the bandaged Meister. But before he could reach, the tiger suddenly crashed into the ground, creating a small crater. Chuuya, having jumped down and used his wavelength, stood upon the tiger and gave Dazai a scolding look.

“You seriously need to control your urges to die,” he said in an irritable tone. “I’m tired of always having to save your ass.”

Dazai merely grinned. “But darling, I can _ always _count on you to save me~!” he said in a cheery tone. “We’re partners after all!”

The ginger sighed. “Why the hell do I put up with you…”

“Because you love me~”

Chuuya rolled his eyes before getting off the struggling tiger. “So the kid only knows transformation magic, huh?” he said as he used his wavelength to keep him down.

“Looks like it,” Dazai said. “And it looks like he hasn’t learned the spell Soul Protect yet. If he did, I wouldn’t have been able to see that he was a witch.”

“He’s male,” the petite Death Scythe said. “Shouldn’t we be calling him a warlock?”

“Where’s the fun in that?” the bandaged Meister said with a cheeky grin.

Chuuya rolled his eyes again at his lover before observing the tiger. “Hmmm… This’ll be weird, but…” The ginger reached out and started scratching behind the tiger’s ear. The beast kept growling before it started to relax and purr at the attention Chuuya was giving it. The petite Death Scythe grinned. “There we go. I’m gonna release you from my wavelength, but you gotta behave okay?” After that was said, Chuuya released the tiger from his control of gravity and the beast stood up to lean into his touch more. “There we go. Who’s a good kitty~”

Dazai’s eye twitched in jealousy at the attention his darling was giving the big cat. He grit his teeth when the tiger suddenly got up and put its paws on Chuuya’s shoulders and started licking his face. “Oh hello!” the ginger laughed. “Hey, that tickles!”

“Okay, I think that’s enough,” Dazai said, activating his wavelength as he walked over to them. “Time to turn back, kitty.” With that, he touched the tiger’s head.

The tiger glowed before Atsushi transformed back into his human form. Chuuya blinked when the kid’s head landed on his chest and he grinned. “Well, aren’t you sweet,” he said.

The brunette had a tick mark at that. “Excuse me, he’s mine!” he yelled before pulling the ginger to him and making the silver haired boy fall face first.

Chuuya glared up at him. “Seriously, Dazai?”

“I’m not having another man put his hands on my darling, chibi~” Dazai huffed.

Before the petite Death Scythe could respond, he heard footsteps coming towards them. “Dazai! Chuuya!” they heard the familiar call of Kunikida as he came rushing towards them. The blonde looked down at the unconscious boy. "So he was the witch this whole time?"

"Yep," Dazai said as he looked at Atsushi. "Seems the poor boy can't control his magic. He's also got the capability of a Meister."

"Did you bring backup?" Chuuya asked the blonde.

"If you mean the people that came here with you, yes," Kunikida answered as he looked back to see two people coming up behind.

"An unconscious witch boy?" A woman with a butterfly hair clip said as she looked at the boy. "I never thought I'd see the day."

"He's definitely a witch," a young man with glasses said with a grin. "An untrained one at that. If he was trained, he wouldn't be this out of control."

Chuuya frowned when Atsushi finally started coming to and left Dazai's possessive hold to kneel down and rub the kid's back. "Don't strain yourself," he said soothingly.

The brunette pouted when his lover started giving his attention to another. Atsushi groaned as he sat up. "What happened?" He asked.

"You passed out," Dazai explained. "And now my darling is giving his attention to someone else!"

"Will you grow up?" The ginger scolded before blinking at the kid. "Umm… shouldn't your whole body have turned back by now?"

Atsushi got confused before lifting up his right hand, or right paw, as his arm was still that of a tiger. He clenched and unclenched his claws together before he started freaking out.

"WAAAAAHHHHHHH!!! THE WITCH IS TRYING TO TAKE OVER MY BODY!!!!" He screamed as he started shaking his arm as of the tiger will come out.

"Atsushi Nakajima!"

Atsushi looked at the smiling Dazai. "You want a place to belong right?" The brunette said. "Well, today is your lucky day! You're going to become a student at Death Weapon Meister Academy!"

"What!?" Kunikida yelled.

Both Atsushi and Chuuya looked at the brunette before giving him an unimpressed look.

"Your timing is terrible, mackerel…"


	2. The Hell Scythe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Atsushi and Akutagawa take on their last soul, a warlock named Edgar Allen Poe. What they thought to be simple task turned out to be not so simple at all.
> 
> During this mission, they reflect of the first day that they met and became partners.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year everyone!! It is 2020!!! The new decade!!
> 
> And since we're in the new year, I have decided to give you all this special gift!
> 
> Enjoy!

Humming could be heard throughout a dusty old house, candles lit around the room and giving off an eerie glow. Sitting in front of desk close to the window was a young man with shaggy brown hair, writing vigorously on a blank piece of paper with a black pen and his dark eyes staring down in concentration. A racoon sat on his shoulders and swishes its tail back and forth as it stared down at its master in boredom.

“Soon, Karl,” the man hummed. “I will defeat him very soon. I’ve got a new novel in store just for him.”

The racoon, or Karl as he was called, rolled its eyes at that.

“Why are you rolling your eyes?” the man asked. “I think it’s a perfect plan to defeat him!”

Karl screeched a little.

“For once, I would appreciate it if you stopped criticizing me!!”

Atsushi and Akutagawa walked in the old woods, staying close to each other as they made their way to their destination. Their last soul was a warlock named Edgar Allen Poe, who just happened to be living in these woods. There wasn’t much information on him, so the weapon and meister pair were just going to have to see for themselves. They soon came across an old looking two story house.

“This must be the house where the warlock Poe lives,” Atsushi said as he looked over the house.

“An old two story house for one guy?” Akutagawa said. “Seems like a waste of space.” He reached up and coughed into his hand, making his Meister concerned.

“Are you sure you wanna do this?” the silverette asked. “We can always come back tomorrow if you’re not feeling okay.”

The demon weapon wanted to feel offended by that, but with the look of genuine concern his Meister was giving him, Akutagawa couldn’t help but soften.

“No, it’s fine,” he answered. “The sooner we can get that last soul, the sooner I can become a Death Scythe. I’m not going to let something like pleurisy get in the way of our mission. We’ve come too far to just stop for a moment.”

Atsushi couldn’t help but smile at his weapon partner. “Okay,” he said with a nod before looking back at the house. “We need to come up with a plan in order to approach Poe.”

The demon weapon grunted. “I don’t see why we would need to come up with a plan,” he said. “I think we should just charge right through.”

“We can’t,” the witch boy said. “He’s different from the others we’ve faced.” Atsushi gaped as Akutagawa charged forward. “Hey, wait! Ryuu!!”

The demon weapon didn’t listen to the silverette as he ran forward and then leapt through the window, breaking it to enter the house in the process. When he landed on his feet, he grabbed the attention of the warlock, who looked at him in shock.

Akutagawa stood up and glared at the warlock. “Hope you don’t mind if I dropped in, because it’s time to take you--” He was cut off when the raccoon jumped onto his face and started scratching his face. “Gah!! Son of a bitch!!”

Atsushi jumped in and grabbed the raccoon and threw it back towards the warlock, who caught his pet with ease.

“What the hell were you doing!?” the silverette scolded. “I told you we can’t just jump in so recklessly!!”

“Well, do you wanna have to wait until later to make me into a Death Scythe!?” the raven haired man yelled back.

Poe looked back and forth as the two bickered like children. He cleared his throat and got their attention. “Excuse me, but who are you?” he demanded.

Both stared at the warlock before getting serious.

“Sorry for the intrusion, but I’ll be taking your soul now,” Atsushi said firmly.

Poe stared at them before narrowing his eyes. "I hope you realize you'll be paying for that window," he said.

"As if we'd waste our time with that once your soul is ours," Akutagawa scoffed. Karl gave a sharp hiss, and the demon weapon flinched.

"Can you turn into a scythe already?" Atsushi mumbled, side eyeing his weapon partner.

"I'm getting to it!" The raven haired man hissed. "Sorry to disappoint you about your window not being paid for, but I'm going to eat your soul."

With that, Akutagawa transformed into a scythe and landed in his Meister's hands. Poe looked on in awe.

"He really did turn into a scythe," he mumbled.

"After I take your soul, he'll be so much more," the silverette said as he got into a fighting stance. "Akutagawa will become a Death Scythe. Then I'll have created a weapon stronger than Chuuya-san."

Poe got up from his seat, his long coat fluttering as he turned to the duo. "Is that so?" He asked. "Well, it looks like I'll have to teach you a lesson on what happens when you're breaking and entering.” Atsushi tensed a little as the warlock began chanting and waving his finger.

_ Novel, novella, novus, novel, novella, novus…_

Poe grinned before raising his hand and a glowing red book appeared.

_ Canon Fire!_

A canon appeared from the book and shot a fireball at Atsushi before it exploded.

* * *

_ Past _

Akutagawa walked down the halls of the academy, heading to the death room to go see his mentor. Chuuya had recently returned to Death City with Dazai, Kunikida, Yosano and Ranpo from Yokohama, and sent him a message telling him that they needed to discuss something important with Lord Death. The demon weapon really hoped that he hadn't done something to upset his mentor. It would kill him inside if he did.

People started talking as he passed by and gave him space to move around freely.

"Hey, it's the DWMA's rabid dog!"

"Don't get too close, or he'll bite!"

"I heard it's because of his attitude that he doesn't have a Meister."

"I heard that his coat is actually magic!"

"He's supposed to be Chuuya Nakahara's protege, right?"

"Yeah. Something about taking his place as Lord Death's new Death Scythe."

"So scary!"

Akutagawa stopped to give everyone a death glare, making them all flinch and walk away. He gave a satisfied hum before making his way to the Death room. Once he arrived, he walked past the Torii gates until he reached the end to see Lord Death and Chuuya sitting at a table and having coffee.

"Ah, Akutagawa!" the reaper greeted after spotting the young demon weapon. "Perfect timing!"

Akutagawa bowed. "Good morning, Lord Death," he greeted. "You and Chuuya-san wanted to speak to me?"

"Yes, please have a seat."

The raven haired man nodded before sitting across from the reaper and his mentor, feeling a tad bit nervous. Chuuya noticed this and chuckled.

"Calm down, Ryuu," he said. "You're not in trouble."

Akutagawa let out a breath of relief that he didn't realize he was holding in. "Then what is this about?" He asked.

"It concerns pairing you with a Meister," Lord Death said.

The demon weapon scowled at that. “Again with this?” he growled. “I told you, I don’t need a Meister!”

“Are you raising your voice, young man?” the petite Death Scythe questioned with a dark look, causing his pupil to flinch.

“A-apologies, Lord Death, sir,” Akutagawa mumbled, sweating a little at his mentor’s scrutinizing gaze.

“That’s quite alright,” the reaper said casually. “And yes, you have expressed your dislike of Meisters, but this is very important. You won’t be able to become a Death Scythe without the help of a Meister.”

“With all due respect, sir, I’m perfectly capable of gathering Kishin souls on my own.”

“I said the same thing, and yet I got stuck with a shitty mackerel.”

“Chuuya-san, that’s different! You only had a Meister because you’re carrying a god inside of you!”

“And I still found out that having a Meister wasn’t so bad after all. Come on, Ryuu, the least you can do is hear us out on this.”

Akutagawa wanted to argue, but Chuuya’s serious look made him stay quiet.

“Other than that, it looks like Dazai has found the perfect Meister candidate for you," Lord Death said.

"He has?" The demon scythe said in surprise.

"Yes, during his mission in finding the tiger witch," the reaper replied before sipping his tea. “I took a look at him myself, and I must say that your wavelengths might be a perfect match!”

Akutagawa couldn’t help but scowl at that. Leave it to Dazai to try and find him a Meister. Damn him. What on earth did his mentor see in that lunatic?

“Quit scowling,” Chuuya said. “The least you could do is take a look at this one before rejecting the idea of having them as your Meister. They should be here soon.”

“Soon?”

“We’re getting new Meisters and Weapons today,” Lord Death explained. “And this will be the perfect opportunity for you to meet your new Meister.”

“I’ve been in the academy longer than they have, though,” the demon weapon replied. “Won’t that be a problem?”

"Not at all," the reaper said. "Normally, I would have the first timers choose among themselves as partners, but I can make an exception to this, since Dazai has found you a Meister himself."

Akutagawa opened his mouth, more than ready to say that he wasn’t going to see any of the new Meisters, but the soft look Chuuya was giving him made him close his mouth back up.

“Ryuu, just please meet them first at least?” Chuuya asked. “If your souls don’t resonate, I promise we won’t bug you about this again.”

That made the raven haired man perk up. “Promise?”

“Promise,” the ginger said with a smile.

Akutagawa searched for any signs of a lie, but when he found none, he sighed.

“Alright…”

* * *

_ Present _

_ Next day _

Atsushi and Akutagawa walked beside each other as they entered the forest, ready for the next round with Poe.

“Damnit, if only that stupid rat wasn’t there,” the raven haired man growled angrily. “I swear, I’ll rip that rodent to shreds next time I see it!”

“You really should learn to calm down, Ryuu,” the silverette said. “If you wanna become a Death Scythe, you need to learn self-control.”

“This coming from the witch boy whose ears and tail pop up like crazy every time he gets embarrassed.”

Atsushi felt a vein pop as he growled at his weapon partner, but Akutagawa stopped and pulled his Meister to hide behind one of the trees. “It’s him,” he whispered as they saw Poe walking down the path from his house. “We should come up with a sneak attack while we still have a chance.”

Karl was sitting on Poe’s shoulder when he spotted Akutagawa and Atsushi behind one of the trees. His instincts kicked in as he jumped from Poe’s shoulder and immediately started attacking the demon weapon, scratching his face with a feral screech.

“GAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!”

_ Next, next day _

“Okay, Ryuu, this time I wrote down a detailed plan on how to catch Poe by surprise,” the silverette said as they walked through the forest again.

“Seriously, Jinko?” the raven haired man said with an unimpressed look. “You’ve taken to writing down battle plans? Please, be more realistic. A piece of paper isn’t going to help us beat a warlock.”

A tick mark appeared on Atsushi’s head and he looked at his partner angrily. “Okay! Then you figure out a way to beat Poe!!” he yelled angrily.

“I say we just use brute force,” Akutagawa said simply.

“That’s your solution for everything!” the tiger witch boy yelled, beginning to poke the demon weapon harshly. “We have to work together with this! Don’t you wanna become a Death Scythe!? Why am I the only one who’s being rational right now!”

“Okay, knock it off already!” Akutagawa growled in irritation towards his Meister.

They didn’t realize that Poe was behind them until they heard his chants.

_ Novel, novella, novus, novel, novella, novus…_

They both looked at the warlock as he grinned.

_ Canon fire!!_

It was then followed by an explosion.

* * *

_ Past _

It had been a long time since Atsushi woke up in a warm bed in the morning. He felt like he could stay in it forever. Chuuya had been sure to make Dazai put in a place where it was really comfy. They had only known each other for a short amount of time, the Death Scythe was already acting like a mother hen to the boy, something the bandaged Meister found ‘adorable’ and… dare he repeat what Dazai said….

_ “Oh, chibi, you’re making me want to put a baby in you~!”_

Chuuya was looking to murder Dazai for that, but thankfully Kunikida had been the one to smack the brunette before the ginger had a chance to.

Atsushi sighed as he looked around his room. Chuuya really made sure Dazai put him in a comfortable place, and Atsushi really appreciated the gesture. However, they all expected him to be at the academy today and… he wasn’t sure if he wanted to go, despite the bandaged man’s encouragement. Meeting Lord Death last night gave him a lot of anxiety, despite the reaper having accepted him as a student even though he has witch ancestry.

Before the silverette could reflect anymore, he jumped when the cellphone on the nightstand beside him started ringing, and he sat up to try and answer it. But it proved to be difficult, since he’s never used a cellphone before. Eventually, he was able to answer it.

“H-Hello…?”

“Good morning~!” the familiar voice of Dazai sang.

“Um, hi, Dazai-san…” Atsushi replied.

“How do you like your new apartment?” the brunette asked.

“Oh, it’s really nice, and so are the clothes,” the silverette answered, glancing at the neat pile of clothes that were left for him on top of the dresser on the side.

“Well, that’s good to hear!” Dazai said happily. “You should probably get ready though. The academy is expecting new Meisters and Weapons to arrive, and we don’t wanna miss your orientation~”

Atsushi frowned at that. _ ‘How do I tell Dazai-san that I don’t wanna go…?’_

“Hey, Dazai-san…?”

“Hm…”

“I don’t think I can--”

“Hold on, before you say anything! I have something to tell you!”

“.... okay what?”

“I’m in a bit of a tight spot right now,” the bandaged man said seriously.

Atsushi became concerned. “Really!?”

"Yes, and like it or not, you're the only one who can help me out."

“Are you sure?”

“I’m very much sure.”

Atsushi was quick to put on the clothes that were left for him, and he quickly put on the black boots that Chuuya got for him. They were surprisingly comfy, but he couldn’t focus on that right now! Dazai was in trouble, and he needed to help him!

“Are you ready, Atsushi-kun?” Dazai asked on the phone.

“Yeah! I’m ready!” th silverette said with determination.

“Okay, when you leave your apartment, make sure to close the door and lock it,” the bandaged man instructed.

Atsushi did as he was instructed and closed the door and locked it the minute he left his room. “Okay, now what?” he asked.

“Turn around.”

The witch boy did, but what he saw made him gape and rush down the steps to stand in front of one of the most ridiculous sight he’d ever seen.

Dazai was smiling as he was sitting inside a barrel with his feet sticking up. Atsushi didn’t know if he was hallucinating, but he as hell hoped he was.

“Um… what am I looking at?”

“Take a guess~”

“I’m hallucinating?”

“Wrong~ Guess again!”

Atsushi grew concerned. “Did you fall…? Or was it an attack!?”

“I got in here myself~”

“Huh!?” Atsushi said with blue stress lines.

“See, I looked up this new method on suicide,” Dazai said as he sunk down in the barrel. “And this one looked really neat! It involves this oil barrel, and all you have to do is sit inside it, so I decided to give it a shot! The key is securing the feet. But now that I’ve managed to do that, I’m really just suffering. I’ve sunk in pretty deep and I can’t get out on my own. I might die!"

The silverette had more stress lines. “Umm… so it’s working isn’t it? Aren’t you interested in suicide?”

“Not this in particular,” the brunette said with an annoyed look. “I like the thought of suicide. I don’t like the idea of pain and suffering. I like a painless death, you know? And now that I think about it, this isn’t a suicide method, it’s a torture meth--OOODDD!!”

Atsushi pushed the barrel down and Dazai rolled out of it in an unceremonious pose against the fence. The boy watched as the older man got up and stretched out his muscles, hearing his bones pop in the process. It was strange how it was only just last night that the boy had discovered that he was a witch, and he only realized it by transforming into a tiger and nearly attacking Dazai. Had it not been for Chuuya, Atsushi probably would’ve killed the older man. And then Dazai’s bold declaration that he would be a student at Death Weapon Meister Academy...

Atsushi sat down along with Dazai on the barrel as the bandaged Meister popped his hip bones.

“You really saved me, Atsushi-kun,” the brunette said happily. “Had it not been for you, I would’ve snapped in two.” The bandaged man bent over to stretch his back out a little. “Such a painful way to die.”

“Why didn’t you call your other coworkers?” the silverette asked. “Couldn’t they have helped you out?”

“Oh, I called them alright,” Dazai said, shifting back into a sitting position and slouching. “They didn’t understand my predicament. They were all like ‘Congratulations! You’re finally doing it!’.”

“Really? What about Chuuya-san?”

“Oh, I called my darling for help, too! You know what he said to me!?”

_ “Awesome. Saves me the headache.”_

“Can you believe that!” Dazai cried anime tears. “I give him all of my love, and this is what I get in return from a chibi Death Scythe!”

“Such supportive friends and a lover,” Atsushi said with an awkward laugh.

Silence fell between them before the boy spoke again. “Dazai-san… I know you said I was going to be a student at the DWMA, but… I don’t think I’m cut out to be a student at such an incredible place,” he confessed.

Dazai looked at him. “So, you don’t even want to catch a glimpse of the academy?”

“I’m just saying I won’t fit in is all, especially since I have magical powers that I can’t even control on my own…” He got up and faced the older man. “I’ll just go look for a job of my skill level and just work hard to pay my rent...”

The brunette gave a hum. “How about this?” he offered. “We pay this place a quick visit. If you still feel unsure about it, I’ll help you out in finding a job. Sound like a deal?”

Atsushi was surprised. “You’re not gonna persuade me to join the DWMA?”

“I’m just saying that you should at least take a look and see the opportunity of honing your skills as a Meister,” the bandaged man said with a grin. “And it’s like I said, if you don’t like it, then I’ll help you find a job.”

Atsushi still looked unsure, but it wouldn’t hurt to pay a visit right?

“Okay. I’ll look.”

“Perfect!”

The boy flinched when he felt something vibrate in his pocket and he pulled out a…

“A compact mirror…?”

He jumped again when the glass of the mirror glowed and it showed Chuuya.

“Yo, Atsushi,” Chuuya greeted. “I see you’re wearing the clothes I got for you.”

“Oh, hello, Chuuya-san, and yes, they’re really comfortable! Um… how…?”

“I’m contacting you from the Death room,” the ginger said. “There’s a special number that enables you to contact the Death room, but it can only work on glass.”

“I see…”

“So, when is my idiot lover going to get you? Oh, wait, he probably isn’t thanks to his dumbass getting stuck in an oil barrel.”

Atsushi sweat dropped at that. “Actually, Dazai-san is right here with me,” he said, Dazai coming up behind him to wave excitedly at his lover.

“Hi, chibi~!”

The petite Death Scythe blinked several times before groaning. “Damnit, Atsushi, why did you let him out!? It was finally peaceful!”

The brunette gaped at that and snatched the mirror from the silverette. “Chuuya! How could you say that!?” he yelled. “I give you my heart, body and soul, and this is the thanks I get! How could you be so cruel to me!?”

The ginger sighed. “Jeez, it was just a joke. Calm down…”

Atsushi laughed nervously as Dazai had anime tears running down his face.

“Chibi is so cruel…”

“Whatever. Just get the kid to the academy already. He’s going to want to meet him soon.”

“Alright, I’ll be there soon, darling~”

“Fuck off…”

Dazai sighed as the image of his lover faded from the mirror. “He’s so cruel sometimes,” he said before having a lecherous smile. “I’ll just have to teach him a lesson when we get home~”

The silverette sweat dropped at that. “Um, so… the academy?”

“Ah, right! Let’s go ahead and get a move on!” the brunette said before leading the way.

_ ‘I feel like I’m gonna regret this,’ _Atsushi thought.

* * *

"Now, for every new Meister and Demon Weapon that we receive, they will be given a demonstration of how a Meister and Weapon pair are supposed to work together," Dazai explained. "Meisters and Demon Weapons must work together in order to fight off Kishins. You know what a Kishin is right?"

“Yeah, they’re all just basically evil souls, right?” the silverette asked. “They taught me that in the orphanage school.”

“Yes. They’re souls who have strayed from the path of humanity and have become evil after devouring innocent human souls. Anyone who strays from the path of humanity and becomes evil runs the risk of becoming a full fledged Kishin. The more innocent souls they devour, the closer they get to becoming a Kishin. That’s why Death Weapon Meister Academy was built, so that all of the evils infesting this world would be purged. This way humanity is protected.”

The boy hummed in thought. “So about Chuuya-san… How is it that he’s a Death Scythe?”

Dazai grinned. “In order for a Demon Weapon to become a Death Scythe, they must catch one hundred souls. Ninety-nine Kishin eggs, one soul of a witch or warlock.”

“I see… Are people assigned missions?”

“Actually, they get to pick which mission to go on. It’s pretty rare that a specific pair are ever given assigned missions. Lord Death says it gives students a chance to take care of the small fries.”

“Oh, wow! That’s pretty amazing!”

Dazai grinned at the younger. “Isn’t it! So once we get there, just sit back and watch! You'll see how amazing the academy truly is! And even more so since they have me~” He gave a sly grin and placed a finger gun under his chin. “After all, I am Dazai~ The most trusted member of the academy and a true hero to adoring fans everywhere~”

“I’VE BEEN LOOKING ALL OVER FOR YOU, DAZAI!!”

Atsushi flinched when Kunikida appeared, stomping towards them angrily.

“YOU BANDAGED SQUANDERING MACHINE!!!”

Dazai gave a cry of despair as he fell back a few steps and covered his eyes with one hand dramatically. “Kunikida-kun, I can’t believe you would say such a thing,” he said dramatically. “Why couldn’t you come up with a better nickname?” The name ‘bandaged squandering machine’ stung a little if he was being completely honest.

“Because you’re delusional,” the blonde Meister said. “You think you’re the most trusted member of the academy staff? You get more complaints than anyone!”

“Really…?” Atsushi said in shock.

The brunette scoffed as he looked away. “Oh, please,” he said. “When have _ I _ever gotten a complaint?”

Kunikida, to prove his point, took out his notebook and began reading. “This is a call we got from August,” he said. It was then that he began to do an impression. “‘_ One of your employees was found caught again in our fishing nets. Can you retrieve him?’ _ Here’s one we got from September. _ ‘Some weirdo’s got himself buried inside my farm. Could he be one of yours?’ _”

The witch boy gaped in shock at this information before looking at the bandaged man, who was also gaping in shock.

“Here’s a call on the same month. _ ‘That bandaged scoundrel needs to pay his tabs, okay! All six months worth!’ _”

“I am absolutely flabbergasted…” Dazai said before throwing his head and hands up in despair. “Who knew you’d be so good at impressions of other people!!”

Kunikida’s glasses cracked in anger before he began to strangle Dazai. “You bastard!!! I oughta strangle you to death!! How the hell does Chuuya even deal with you!?! This is why Lord Death gives you the most Reaper Chops!!!”

Atsushi's eyebrow twitched as he watched the two men. "I'm starting to reconsider listening to Dazai…"

By the time the two were finished, Kunikida cursed as he looked at his watch. "I wasted a whole minute of my schedule on this idiot!" He said. "Hurry up. We need to get back to the academy and look at the newcomers."

"Ah, wonderful, Atsushi-kun and I were just on our way there!" Dazai said with a smile.

"Why didn't you say so earlier!?"

"Because you were being mean to me!"

"If you'd actually start acting like an adult, I wouldn't have to! How the hell does Chuuya even put up with you!?"

"Because he loves my charm, good looks, and he is a goddess in the bedroom--"

_ CHOP_

"ENOUGH OF YOUR NONSENSE ALREADY! AND FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, KEEP YOUR LECHEROUS BEHAVIOR IN CHECK!!"

Atsushi gaped in shock as Dazai laid on the ground with a giant dent on his head. Kunikida bowed a little. "Apologies, Lord Death," he said formally to the window. "I was looking all over for him, but he made us get off schedule. We'll head back to the academy immediately."

"Just as long as no one causes trouble while you're on your way, I don't have a problem," Lord Death said after he retracted his hand.

Atsushi was amazed and terrified that the reaper was able to use a Reaper Chop even though he was in a different place. How was he able to do that?

“Understood, see you then,” Kunikida said before hanging up. “Alright, let’s hurry up and get to the academy. You’re already late.”

The witch boy sweat dropped as the unconscious Dazai was dragged away by the blonde and he followed close behind.

* * *

Akutagawa stood to the side of the room, growing rather impatient with his new _ Meister's _tardiness.

"Relax, Ryuu," Chuuya said. "They're just running a little late."

"It's never a little late when it comes to Dazai-san," the Demon Weapon grumbled.

"Yeah, he's pretty much the worst when it comes to timing," the Death Scythe agreed.

Silence fell on them for a moment before the younger spoke. “So this Meister… what’s he like?”

Chuuya smiled at that. “Well, to start with, he’s got witch ancestry,” he answered.

That surprised Akutgawa. “He’s a witch?” he asked.

“Yeah, believe it or not,” the ginger said. “More specifically he’s a tiger witch. The only problem is that he can’t control his powers. The mackerel acted like he was bait and tried to get himself killed, until I saved his stupid ass that is.”

“What kind of magic can he do?”

“Only transformation magic. Yosano said that he’s got the potential to use regeneration magic, so she’s volunteered to help teach him to control his powers since she’s a witch herself.”

Akutagawa shuddered at the mention of the academy’s doctor. Yosano was probably one of the few scariest women he’d ever encountered, besides Kouyou and Konjaki. He felt bad for the poor sod that’s gonna end up under the butterfly witch’s wing for magic.

“Is there anything else?” the Demon Weapon asked.

“Well, he hasn’t ever learned of his witch ancestry for years, from what I can understand,” the petite Death Scythe informed. “The shitty orphanage he came from pretty much kept him in the dark for a long time. I’ll say this, if I ever see a staff member of that shitty orphanage, I’ll beat them to a bloody pulp.”

Seems like his mentor has become a mother hen already. Akutagawa knew that it was one of the many good qualities Chuuya had as a person, and one of the many few things that drew him towards the older like a moth to a flame when they first met. But still…

“Mother henning another student already?” the raven haired young man asked.

Chuuya grinned playfully. “You didn’t complain when I mother henned you and Gin when we first met~” he teased.

Akutagawa blushed madly at that. “Y-yes I did!!”

“I’m just teasing you, kid,” the ginger laughed a little.

“Now, Akutagawa, I would appreciate it if you treated our new student with respect,” Lord Death said. “If you accept him as your Meister, then it is crucial that you get along with him.”

The demon weapon bit his lip at that. Get along with him, huh? The only people he’s even remotely talked to was his sister, Gin, her partner, Tachihara, Yosano-sensei for his monthly checkups, and his mentor. He does converse with Dazai occasionally, but the two weren’t exactly on agreeable terms at the moment. As much as he didn’t want a Meister, he did agree that he would see this person and give it a shot if he decided that he was a good fit to be his Meister.

Lord Death hummed as the mirror showed an image of Kunikida and Atsushi standing at the stairs of the academy. “Ah, perfect timing!” he said in glee.

“Well, Ryuu?” Chuuya said as he stood beside the reaper. “Come have a look.”

Akutagawa hesitated a little bit before walking over and standing beside his mentor to see. This person… In his honest opinion, he really isn’t much to look at. A scrawny and skittish. Doesn’t really look like someone who could be a Meister or a witch.

“Well?”

“... He doesn’t look like much…”

“Ah, he only looks it,” the ginger said. “Come on. We better go assess the new meisters and demon weapons. I have to help with demonstration anyway.”

The raven haired young man nodded before following the petite Death Scythe out of the Death Room.

* * *

“Oh, wow!” Atsushi said in shock as he stared at the academy building. “It’s huge!!”

“Impressive, isn’t it?” Kunikida asked, pushing his glasses at the bridge of his nose. “Lord Death designed this himself when he founded the academy.” He walked up the steps, dragging Dazai by the ankle and making his head hit the steps. “Let’s go. I have to welcome the new students we’ve just received.”

Atsushi flinched before quickly following behind the older Meister up the steps. “How long are these stairs?” he asked.

“That’s not important,” Kunikida said dismissively. “Now hurry up. We’re already behind schedule.”

It took a few minutes for them to finally make it to the top, and Atsushi was crawling on his hands and knees by that time. “So… many… stairs,” he whined tiredly.

“Catch your breath first,” the blonde said, writing down in his notebook. “And be quick about it. I’m having to redo the whole schedule.”

The silverette whined a little before catching his breath and then standing up on his feet. Kunikida nodded in approval before beginning to walk to the doors.

“There you guys are,” Yosano said as she stood at the doorway with her hands on her hips. “What took you so long?”

“This idiot, that’s what,” Kunikida growled as he let go of Dazai’s ankles with a glare. “He just _ had _to get himself stuck in an oil barrel when he should’ve been getting the kid like he was supposed to!”

The woman scoffed. “Well, you’re here now, so let’s get started,” she said before turning to Atsushi. “Atsushi, right?”

“Um yes!” Atsushi said nervously.

“We never got the chance to properly introduce ourselves,” Yosano said with a small grin. “My name is Akiko Yosano. I'm a witch, like you.”

“Really!?” the boy said in shock.

“Mhm,” she hummed with a nod. “But I’m also a doctor in this academy. You can relax.”

“But… isn’t the DWMA the enemy of witches and warlocks?”

“I’m not exactly like the other witches,” Yosano scoffed. “Besides, they all look down on me because I don’t feel the ‘pull of magic’. So I came here to the DWMA and put my skills as a doctor to good use.”

“The pull of magic…?”

“Ah, that’s right. Nobody ever taught you a thing or two about your ancestry. Don’t worry about it for now. Here.” She hands him a tag that read _ MEISTER. _“We distinguish meisters and demon weapons with these tags.”

Atsushi took the tag and looked it over. The boy noticed that, besides the title, the tag was also the color blue.

“Alright, we’ve stalled long enough,” Kunikida said. “Let’s hurry up and to get to the new smallfry.”

“Right,” the boy mumbled before following the two close behind. He briefly heard a groan behind him before realizing that Dazai was waking up.

“Oh, hey, we’re here,” the bandaged man groaned. “Ow, why does my head hurt?”

“Just ignore him,” Kunikida instructed. “We have more important matters to attend to.”

“Hey!” Dazai yelled behind them. “Wait for me! Don’t listen to Kunikida-kun!!”

Atsushi sweat dropped as the bandaged man continued whining and running up to catch up to them.

“I’m guessing you know that you’ll be seeing other meisters and weapons,” Yosano said. “I guess that’s one thing Dazai can do right.”

“Hey! I do things right!” Dazai whined.

“Barely,” Kunikida scoffed, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose before they finally came to two double doors.

“Welp, this is where I take my leave,” Yosano said, walking off. “I only came to make sure you didn’t try to kill Dazai, Kunikida-kun.”

“We’ll see you at the meeting,” Kunikida said with a nod before opening the double doors. “Atsushi, go ahead and stand with the others. We’re about to get started.”

Atsushi looked and saw many other people on the side. There were a few people who looked his age and a couple others were a little younger. He noticed two girls in kimonos; one having dark hair and a red kimono, the other with white hair and a white kimono. Could they be sisters? No, they don’t really look alike.

Deciding to leave it alone, the witch boy walks over and stood in a line with everyone. He noticed a few having on a red tag with the word _ WEAPON _printed onto it.

_ ‘Must be the new weapon students,’ _he thought to himself.

“Alright, everyone, thank you for your patience,” Kunikida said as he stood at the podium. “My name is Doppo Kunikida, one of the academy’s instructors and a Meister, like the majority of you. As you all know, you have come to Death Weapon Meister Academy to hone your skills as Meisters and Weapons, and as expected, you will all be partnered together depending on whether or not your wavelengths will match together. As we are rather behind schedule, we shall go ahead and skip on to the demonstration of meister and weapon pairs.”

Dazai smiled as he came forward and stood before everybody.

“This is Osamu Dazai,” the blonde said. “Another member of the academy staff and a Meister much like myself. Although, you really won’t expect much from him during your time here as he is the laziest of the staff.”

“Why do you have to out me like that, Kunikida-kun!?” Dazai whined.

“I’m preparing them for the inevitable,” Kunikida stated.

“Yo!”

Everyone turned to see Chuuya and Akutgawa coming in.

“Ah, perfect timing,” Kunikida said. “Apologies for making you wait.”

“Don’t worry about it,” the ginger said, waving it off. “I figured it’d be the mackerel's fault anyway.”

"Chuuya!" The bandaged Meister whined.

"Now everyone, standing before you is the Death Scythe of Lord Death, Chuuya Nakahara," Kunikida introduced as he ignored Dazai. "He's also partnered with Dazai, forming the infamous duo, Double Black."

Atsushi gasped. _ 'They're Double Black!? The most feared Meister and Weapon pair in history!?'_

Akutagawa scoffed as everyone stared at the two in awe.

"Yes, yes, please refrain from autographs~" Dazai said smoothly, causing Chuuya to roll his eyes. "I'm sure we have many admirers, but I must warn you~" the bandaged man suddenly have a dark smile. "Anyone who thinks they can even attempt to steal my chibi away from me will be buried six feet under…"

The new students shivered underneath that cold gaze in fear until Dazai wheezed after Chuuya punched him in the gut.

"I thought I told you to cut that shit out!" The petite Death Scythe growled.

"But chibikko!" The brunette whined. "The majority of the students already have a crush on you!"

"No they don't!"

Kunikida cleared his throat, but didn't voice any confirmation of Dazai's claim.

Atsushi sweat dropped at this display. _ 'They sure are a loving couple…' _ he thought. He soon caught sight of a bit in a black coat in the corner and stared a little.

Akutagawa saw one of the students, a silver haired boy, was staring at him. He narrowed his eyes before Atsushi realized that the Weapon saw him staring and quickly looked away.

"Moving on," Kunikida said. "Dazai and Chuuya will give you a demonstration of a Meister and Weapon pair."

Dazai and Chuuya nodded before the ginger was surrounded by a red aura and then turned into a black scythe. The bandaged man reached out and grabbed the scythe delicately.

Everyone whispered and stared in awe at the display. Atsushi was amazed. He'd never seen a weapon transform up close before, and he felt like this was some sort of dream for a moment.

"Now they will demonstrate an example of combat," the blonde said.

The bandaged man gave a grin before releasing his grip on the scythe and reaching his hand out flat, the weapon leaning its weight onto it. Without so much as a blink, the scythe suddenly started swinging around the hands without Dazai so much as moving. Atsushi stared in awe.

_ 'It's almost like they're dancing!'_

Dazai flashed a grin at the boy before reaching his other hand out and grabbing the scythe before twirling it around by hand. The brunette then threw the scythe up into the air and then caught it with one hand.

The students cheered and clapped their hands, causing day to bow down. Kunikida rolled his eyes before flinching as the altar he was standing at fell into pieces.

"Woops," Dazai said, blinking. "Guess I got a little carried away…" he then grinned. "But it was a beautiful demonstration of dancing, eh darling~?" He sang, slowly stroking the weapon before a leg stuck out of the blade and kicked the man in the face.

Chuuya transformed back to his human form and glared at Dazai with a mad blush. "The hell do you think you're doing!? Stroking my weapon form like that!? You damn pervert!!" He yelled.

"Have you no sense of shame!?" Kunikida yelled. "You're giving students inappropriate ideas!!"

Everyone sweat dropped as both Meister and Weapon continued yelling at the bandaged man, who didn't look remotely guilty.

"But chibi!" Dazai whined. "We're lovers! It's what we do!"

"Not in public, you asshole!!" The ginger yelled.

Akutagawa sighed as he placed a hand over his head. He really didn't know what his mentor saw in that lunatic.

"Anyway, that is how a weapon and Meister partnership function," Kunikida said, pushing his glasses up the bridge or his nose as he addressed the students. "Now in a few minutes, we're going to be testing each of you and see if your wavelengths match as Meister and Weapon. Let's all take a little break."

Everyone nodded before scattering around the room to converse amongst themselves.

"So Atsushi-kun," Dazai said with a smile. "What do you think? Still don't think you fit in here?'

"Well… It does look pretty neat," Atsushi said. "But…"

"Before you say anything, there's someone I'd like you to meet," the brunette said before nodding to his lover.

"Ryuu!" Chuuya called. "Come here!"

Akutagawa did as told and walked over to them.

"Atsushi-kun," Dazai said with a smile, "this is Chuuya's protege, Ryuunosuke Akutagawa. Akutagawa, this is Atsushi Nakajima. Your new Meister."

Both young men gaped in shock at each other before they looked at the bandaged man.

"Hold on!! Are you saying you had no intention of helping me find a job if I didn't like it here!?" Atsushi yelled in shock.

"Pretty much~" Dazai said with a cheeky grin.

Chuuya face palmed. "God damnit Dazai…."

Akutagawa couldn't help but glare. "You can't possibly think that you can just force this," growled.

"Well, you did promise, didn't you~?"

The raven haired man flinched at that before both weapon and meister looked at each other. Unsure of what to do.

* * *

_ Present _

_ Chupa Cabra’s _

“You’re finally going to propose to him, Mr. Dazai!?” one of the girls said in excitement.

Dazai gives a nod with a proud smile. “Yes, I’m finally planning on popping the question!”

“We were wondering when you were finally gonna put a ring on that finger!” the other girl giggled.

“Well, we’ve been together for about seven years now,” the bandaged man swooned. “And we’ve been a couple for six. I figured it’s time I tied the knot~”

“He’s been practically your husband your lives, huh?”

“Which is exactly why I came to you ladies today!” He pulled out a magazine of jewelry from his coat. “I need help with finding the perfect engagement ring!”

“Oh, Mr. Dazai, we’re more than happy to help!”

“Perfect! Now, I was thinking of a gold band with a white diamond, but that’s used a lot.”

“What about a white gold band with a sapphire? To match his eyes~”

Dazai beamed. “That’s perfect! Thank you, ladies! I know I could count on you!” He quickly went to the desk and paid for his drink. “Well, I better head out! I have an engagement ring to buy!”

“Please come again!” both girls said with a wave.

Dazai simply waved at them before rushing off.

* * *

_ Next, next, next day. Third Round! _

Atsushi leaped over as several flying books came at him. He sunk the end of his scythe into the ground to steady his balance and land safely on the ground. He glared up at Poe as the warlock sat upon a giant book.

“Just give it up,” the warlock said. “You can’t beat me, boy.”

The silverette glared up at him. “No way!”

“This is taking forever,” Akutagawa said within the scythe. “I thought you had a plan already thought out!”

“I would’ve had one if you had just listened to me,” Atsushi responded angrily. “You know, you can be really stupid when you try to act like a lone wolf! You went into that house the first time because you couldn’t be patient!”

“Oh so this is all my fault!” the demon weapon growled. “And I’m plenty patient, thank you very much!”

“Hmph, sure you are,” the witch boy said.

“For so called partners, you bicker as if you were children,” Poe interrupted as he lowered down to ground level. “Why are you even working together if you’re just fighting all the time? At this rate, you’re just holding each other back. And what’s a witch boy doing fighting for the DWMA?”

“That’s none of your concern,” Atsushi said with a glare. “And you wouldn’t know anything about a Meister and Weapon pair. Then again, it probably wouldn’t concern a warlock. So stay out of our conversations.”

Poe hummed before giving an icy glare. “Very well, young man.”

Atsushi flinched and didn’t let down his guard when the warlock floated back up into the air.

_ Novel, novella, novus…_

_ Fist of the Giant!!_

The boy yelped when he dodged a giant fist that came from the giant book and leaped up to one of the buildings to make a run for it.

“This is gonna be a little more difficult than I thought!” Atsushi said as he ran. “We should’ve gone to Ranpo and asked him what to do!”

Akutagawa stayed silent and reflected on Poe’s words.

_ “At this rate, you’re just holding each other back.”_

He then gave a sly grin.

* * *

Dazai hummed happily as he held the small box in his hand. He’d finally gotten the perfect engagement ring, and now he needed to come up with a perfect proposal scene. “Maybe once Akutagawa becomes a Death Scythe, I can propose when we celebrate!” he said happily. “Yes! That’s the perfect scenario for a proposal!” He swooned as he imagined Chuuya’s expression of the ring. “Oh, chibi, soon I’m going to make you my darling chibi wife~”

He quickly hid the box into his pocket as he came closer to the end of the room. “Hello, Lord Death! Chibi darling!” he greeted. “What’d I miss?”

“What did you miss?” Lord Death asked as he shifted his attention from the fight in the mirror to the bandaged Meister. “Isn’t it obvious! Your pupil is in danger!”

Dazai became concerned before rushing to get to Chuuya’s side and gaped at the sight of Atsushi struggling against Poe. “What in the world?” he mumbled. “I didn’t think this warlock would be tough!”

Chuuya said nothing as he watched the fight with a calm expression.

“Chuuya, aren’t you even the least bit concerned?” Daza asked. “Akutagawa and Atsushi may not make it out alive. Atsushi isn’t even that far in his studies of magic, so he can’t use his magic against a more experienced warlock.”

The ginger looked at his lover with a calm expression. “It’s not like you to get cold feet, Dazai,” he said. “I’m concerned about them, yes, but it’s my duty as Ryuu’s mentor to have faith in both of them. And that’s what you should be doing, too.” His blue eyes softened. “Besides, we can’t always be there to protect them. They need to learn to stand on their own.”

Brown eyes stared into blue eyes before Dazai reached out and grabbed Chuuya’s hand to kiss it. “When did my darling become so wise?” he said with a smile.

“Don’t underestimate me, mackerel,” Chuuya said with a smirk.

Dazai chuckled. “Wouldn’t dream of it, slug.”

The ginger then turned back to the fight. “Although, I can’t put my finger on it, but… Something’s off about that warlock,” he said.

“Yes, I sense it as well,” Lord Death said. “It’s best that we pay close attention to this warlock.”

The bandaged man nodded in agreement before going back to watching the fight.

Atsushi yelled out as an explosive book crashed against the roof near his feet and he slid down the roof before sinking the blade of his scythe into the roof.

"Ryuu, what's up with you?" Atsushi asked his weapon partner. "You've been acting really strange." All he received from the demon scythe was silence. "Hello! Earth to Ryuu!"

".... Jinko," Akutagawa finally said.

"There you are," the witch boy said in relief, but became confused when his partner turned back into his human form and holding his hands.

The shadow covered his eyes as the scythe spoke. "Stop talking."

With that, he let go of his grip on his Meister, allowing Atsushi to fall on a pile of garbage and Akutagawa jumped down from the roof and landed on the ground.

"Hey!! What's the big idea, Ryuu!?!" Atsushi yelled at him angrily. "What'd you drop me for!?"

The raven haired man turned his gaze away from him with a solemn expression. ".... I don't think we should be partners anymore," he said bluntly.

The silverette gaped in shock at this.

"From now on, I'm doing this on my own."

Lord Death and Chuuya stared at this display and Dazai frowned.

"Akutagawa…. You moron!" The brunette yelled. "This is supposed to be the moment you confess!!"

Lord Death had a tick mark and glared at Dazai before--

_ CHOP_

"Is now really the time to be saying that?" The reaper said as the bandaged Meister laid on the ground unconscious.

"Idiot," Chuuya mumbled with a slight glare.

Atsushi stared at Akutagawa in shock and disbelief. "Ryuu… Why?"

"It's just as this warlock said," Akutagawa answered with a cold look. "We may have gotten this far, but you've done nothing but hold me back. I should've just refused to be partners with you the moment we met. The only reason I agreed to have you as my Meister was because Chuuya-san ordered me to."

The witch boy's heart clenched at that. His own weapon didn't want him as a partner anymore? Just like that? No… He never wanted to be partners to begin with...

"Ryuu…," Chuuya said with a look of disappointment.

"Darling, don't be sad," Dazai said, hugging Chuuya from behind. "Akutagawa isn't like us. I'll never want to be away from you. Never ever~" the ginger flinched when the brunette nipped his neck. "My heart, soul and body are yours to have on top of--"

_ CHOP_

"I think it's best if you shut up for a while," Lord Death said in irritation as Dazai lay in his own blood.

The witch boy’s bangs covered his eyes as he looked down. After all this time, all those missions they’ve had together. The times they’ve spent together with Gin, Kyouka, and Shirayuki as they were all living together. Was that all just a ruse? Did he only become his partner because Chuuya had asked him to?

_ ‘Am I really nothing more than a burden…? People are so horrible…’_

_ “Get out of here you good for nothing!”_

_ “The world would be a better place if you die in a ditch somewhere!”_

_ “You’re not welcome here! And you’ll never find a place where you do belong!”_

_ ‘But you… you who I decided to trust…’_

_ Atsushi hesitated a little before reaching his hand out. Akutagawa was reluctant, but reached his own hand out as well. As their hands came together to form their partnership, both felt the strong connection of their wavelengths._

Atsushi grit his teeth as tears formed in his eyes. “People like you are so damn horrible,” he gritted out. “I WISH YOU ALL WOULD JUST DIE!!”

Everyone watched with a frown as the silverette burst into tears. Even Poe, having come down to the ground during this whole ordeal, was frowning at this.

“Hey, Akutagawa… You said I’ve been holding you back this whole time?” the witch boy growled as he cried. “Well, what was the point of us being partners in the first place!? Why do our wavelengths have to match!?”

Akutagawa looked at Atsushi with a calm look before extending his arm. “I can’t exactly answer that, but if there’s one thing Chuuya-san taught me,” he said before his arm turned into a scythe blade that curved around Poe. “In order to trick the enemy, you must also deceive your ally.”

Atsushi looked up in shock as Akutagawa reached out.

“Now, Jinko!!”

The silverette rushed over and grabbed his partner’s hand so he could fully transform and then sliced through Poe before he got the chance to escape. The warlock, upon being struck, turned into black shadowy ribbons before a purple soul appeared.

The raven haired young man transformed back and grabbed the soul before turning to his meister. “Apologies, Jinko,” he said sincerely. “I didn’t mean to say all of those things to you, but I had to make it look convincing.”

Atsushi wiped his eyes to get rid of the tears before smiling. “It’s okay,” he said. “You’re a pretty good actor.”

Akutagawa smiled before looking down at the soul. “We’ve finally got them all…”

“Once you eat that soul…”

“Yes. With this soul, I’ll become a Death Scythe.”

Akutagawa brought the soul to his mouth before devouring it and swallowing it up. His eyes widened as he felt the rush of power flowing through him, a bright light surrounding his body as he yelled.

“The power!!” Several blades appeared from his body. “I can feel incredible power!!”

Then everything stopped.

“Or not.”

Atsushi gaped in confusion. Akutagawa coughed a little before spitting out the soul, which in turn turned into a piece of paper.

Both meister and weapon pair stared in disbelief.

“A piece of… paper?”

Lord Death and Chuuya sweat dropped at this. “Yes, just as I suspected,” the reaper said.

“So the warlock turned out to be paper,” the Death Scythe said in disbelief. “Man, that’s gotta suck.”

“That’s why I didn’t see the soul,” Dazai said incredulously. “Here I thought he was using Soul Protect.”

“So all this time… we’ve been fighting paper!?” Akutagawa yelled angrily.

Atsushi was completely pale. “That means…” He fell on his knees. “We failed!”

Chuuya groaned in disappointment. “Damnit, that fucking sucks,” he said. “I was so looking forward to open up Chateau to celebrate!”

Dazai reached down into his coat pocket and gripped the small black box tightly. _ ‘I guess I’ll have to postpone the proposal,’ _ he thought to himself. _ ‘Oh well, some other time.’ _He then grinned lecherously and hugged Chuuya from behind and beginning to feel up his sides, the Death Scythe shivering wildly at this. “Don’t worry, chibi, I’ll make you feel better when we get home~”

_ CHOP_

Lord Death had three tick marks as Dazai laid on the ground in his blood, and a little was spraying out of his head. Chuuya simply glared at his lover in irritation.

“This is unacceptable,” Akutagawa growled angrily, his coat flowing a bit. “How dare that warlock subject us to such humiliation!”

“And that’s not all,” Atsushi said with an irritated look as he remembered Lord Death’s words.

_ “As a rule, if you fail the mission, all of the souls you’ve collected so far will be confiscated. _ ** _All of them._ ** _ ”_

Akutagawa transformed into a scythe and he used Rashomon to spread wings from the blade. Using it as a broom, Atsushi sat upon the scythe and they flew away.

"Since I'm Meister, I'll take full responsibility, since I should've seen this coming," Atsushi said.

Akutagawa was silent at that before frowning. "Fine," he said, finally listening for once.

_ 'I'm disappointed I'm not a Death Scythe after all the efforts we put into this but…' _ his image appeared in the blade and he looked at Atsushi with a small smile. _ 'I'm happy to have you as my partner, Jinko…'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone asks, no I will not let Poe die. He's needed for the plot, but will not come until later.
> 
> Anyway, that's the chapter! How you all like it! Before I end it there, here's a few lists
> 
> Meisters:  
Atsushi  
Dazai  
Kunikida  
Lord Death (obviously)
> 
> Weapons:  
Akutagawa - scythe  
Chuuya - scythe
> 
> Witches/Warlocks:  
Atsushi - tiger  
Yosano - butterfly  
Poe - ???
> 
> And there you have it! The lists will progress for every new chapter I make.
> 
> With that, good day everyone!


	3. Death Weapon Meister Academy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the DWMA!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow I didn't think I'd get done with this so soon....
> 
> Anyway, hello everyone! Your favorite author is here with another chapter of _Soul Dogs!_
> 
> Just wanna give a big shout-out to all of the Bros that have looked this story and to Yellow-Canna, whom this story is gifted to!
> 
> Enjoy!

Death Weapon Meister Academy.

A prestigious school built to teach young meisters and weapons to fight evil and protect the world. The organization was founded by Lord Death in order to bring world order and prevent another Kishin from being born into the world.

Kishins were evil souls born from madness and devouring pure human souls, capable of destroying the world. Their souls took the form of a soul that was an unusual red color, and are often referred to as Kishin eggs. Kishin eggs were how one hits the start of becoming a Kishin once they have started devouring innocent souls, and it takes a detrimental toll on their sanity, hence the madness wavelength.

In addition to battling Kishin, Death Weapon Meister Academy, locally known as the DWMA, are also enemies to witches and warlocks. Witches and warlocks are men and women who studied magic, and are known for their destructive nature. Since they are also a threat to humanity, the DWMA set out to dispose of the witches and warlocks, and have been enemies or many centuries. As such, there are also many organizations founded by witches and warlocks all over the world.

Each meister and weapon pair must gather 99 Kishin eggs and one witch or warlock soul in order to make the demon weapon into a Death Scythe. However, if one fails a mission of either catching the Kishin egg or witch/warlock soul, all the souls that were collected are to be confiscated.

* * *

In the dining hall of the Alcapone family, Don Alcapone sat with his subordinates as they dined on innocent souls. It seemed to be peaceful for them, but none of them realized that they were being watched.

“You getting this, Kenji?”

“Uh-huh! Hey, how about we just ask them to release the souls?”

“Kenji, that’s not-- Gah!!”

Suddenly, a blonde boy in blue overalls and a straw hat appeared on the dining table with a friendly smile. He saluted with a mirror in his hand in greeting.

“Hello!” he said cheerfully. “I’m Kenji Miyazawa! I’m sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering if you would be so kind as to let all of these innocent souls go?”

The whole family only stared in shock at the sight of a farm boy on the table.

“Kenji! You weren’t supposed to reveal yourself!” the mirror shouted before a green aura enveloped it and it transformed into a young man with orange hair and a red sweater around his waist. “As a mirror, I can create illusions in order for us to be hidden! Don’t you get that!”

While the two were busy with their one-sided argument, the gang pulled out their machine guns and began to shoot. Both boys ended up running around the bullets, the farm boy simply laughing and the older boy screaming in panic.

“This is so much fun!” the farm boy, Kenji, yelled in glee. “Running sure is a good form of exercise, huh!”

“It’s always the same with you!!” the older boy screamed out in panic as he held his hair.

“Okay, Tanizaki! Mirror time!”

“Fine!”

The older boy, Tanizaki, transformed into a mirror and the glass glowed before Kenji and him disappeared. The gang became confused before the table was lifted up.

“Sorry about this,” a voice said in the distance. “But we’ve gotta beat you all down. Because you’re Kishin eggs! You understand, right?”

* * *

In the dead of night, a masked man broke out through the window and an alarm bell was ringing. He carried a large sack as he ran through the alleyway in order to escape. Once he found that he was at a safe distance, he set the sack down and opened it up to reveal dozens of innocent souls inside of her, and he gave a wicked grin.

“Kyouka, we’ve found the Kishin.”

“I know.”

The man flinched when he saw a girl in a red kimono and holding a katana in her hand landed right in front of him.

“Lupin,” the girl, Kyouka said, with a hard look. “Your soul has become a Kishin egg, and it’s pure evil.” She drew her katana out of its sheath. “In the name of Lord Death, such evil must be purged.”

The blade showed an image of a girl with snow white hair and golden eyes. “Let us collect the damaged soul, Kyouka,” she said to her Meister.

Lupin growled before pulling out a gun and beginning to shoot, only for Kyouka to block the bullets with swift motions. This gave him the chance to run when she was backing up from blocking the bullets and she was quick to give chase. They both turned in sharp corners before he looked back and saw that she was gone. 

Breathing out a sigh of relief, Lupin left the alleyway and went out into the open. What he didn’t realize was that Kyouka was standing on the building behind him and she leaped off of it before bringing her sword down on him.

* * *

A girl in a black coat and a white mask was slashing through mummies with her knife as she ran through the hall of a pyramid. Her dark eyes narrowed at the sight of more mummies in the distance, gripping the knife in her hand tightly.

“Gin! Switch!”

Gin nodded before her whole body was engulfed in a magenta aura and the knife in her hand became gray. The knife had transformed into a young man with reddish brown hair and a bandage over his nose, and Gin had turned into a handgun, which the boy grabbed and began shooting at the mummies from a distance. He flinched when a mummy came up from behind and grabbed him.

“Tachihara! Switch!”

“Right!” Tachihara shouted before transforming into a knife while Gin reverted back to her human form and sliced through the mummy.

“Of all things, why did it have to mummies?” Tachihara grumbled as his image showed up in the knife.

“It’s the mission we picked, so stop complaining,” Gin said before running forward and fighting more mummies.

* * *

_ DWMA Death Room _

“I’m sorry about the mission, Lord Death,” Atsushi said with his head down. “I should’ve known that warlock would trick us like that.”

“It’s not your fault Atsushi,” Lord Death assured. “I must admit, that warlock was very clever to use a doppelganger spell. Not a lot of witches and warlocks usually do that.”

That honestly didn’t make the boy feel better.

“I bet Akutagawa doesn’t want me as a partner anymore because of this…”

“I’ve known Akutagawa since Chuuya first brought him here,” the reaper said. “And if there’s one thing I know about that stubborn boy, it’s that he wouldn’t abandon anyone he cares for just because of a small hiccup.”

“You really think so?”

“I know so.”

That made the boy smile a little.

“Well, in any case, you’ll both just have to start over,” Lord Death said. “And don’t make too much of a big deal out of this. It happens to everyone. Now, I’m sure Yosano will want you to get to your magic lessons, so you best be off.”

Atsushi nodded, gave a quick bow and then rushed off to go see Yosano-sensei. Ever since he was brought to the DWMA, Yosano had been teaching him to properly control his magic. He was still a novice since he was so busy with his missions, but he had been making good progress since he’s been under Yosano’s tutelage. She may be scary at times, but he found that she was a really good teacher.

Speaking of which, he flinched as he started to hear screaming from down the hall where the infirmary was. Somebody must’ve gotten seriously injured, but not to the point of death again.

From his time here, he came to learn that witches and warlocks were capable of creating their unique spells.

Yosano-sensei’s special spell was _ Thou Shall Not Die. _It was a unique spell that enabled her to completely heal someone who is on the brink of death. She said it was a regeneration spell, but often times mistaken from necromancy. 

Atsushi rushed to the infirmary before stopping after Tanizaki stepped out, looking horrified.

“Tanizaki…?”

“Four times,” Tanizaki said, trembling in fear. “Four times…”

“Ah, there you are, Atsushi,” Yosano said, stepping out of the infirmary. “Ready for your magic lessons?”

Atsushi trembled a bit, but nodded. “Yes, ma’am…”

He learned a lot about his witch ancestry from Yosano as well.

For instance, “the pull of magic” was what witches and warlocks felt whenever they used magic for destruction. For them, it was basically a destructive instinct, something that neither he nor Yosano felt. Atsushi had felt the pull of magic when his powers first appeared, but that was only because he was a “late bloomer”.

Apparently, witches and warlocks who are born as late bloomers don’t awaken to their magical abilities until later on at some point in their life, and therefore have no sense of control over their magic. In order for them to control their magic properly, they must be under the tutelage of another witch or warlock. Yosano was Atsushi’s teacher in this case.

The reason neither he nor Yosano felt the pull of magic was because they practiced regeneration magic. It was a healing ability that enabled them to help heal others or themselves. This type of magic was originally only learned by tanuki witches and warlocks until Yosano picked up on the ability, which she would later teach Atsushi how to use. But because this type of magic isn’t meant for destruction, tanuki witches were looked down upon by the Order of Magic, and Yosano and Atsushi are pretty much under the same boat as them.

Yosano never really cared for the Order of Magic, since they were all pretty stuck up in her opinion. And if Atsushi had been picked up by a member of the Order of Magic, he no doubt would be stuck feeling the pull of magic.

Atsushi stepped inside of the infirmary. Yosano was usually here a lot since she was the school’s doctor, so she had been teaching him magic here.

“Okay, let’s go ahead and practice transformation magic,” Yosano said as she pushed the beds up against the wall to make room. “I’m sure you’ve already gotten the hang of it by now.”

The silverette nodded before taking a deep breath as he used his magic on himself. His body glowed a blue aura and he could feel his body changing. When the blue aura disappeared, he blinked when only his tiger ears and tail popped out.

“Aw man, again!” he whined.

“Calm down, Atsushi,” the doctor said. “Not everyone instantly transforms on the first try. You’ll get it next time.”

Atsushi sighed before his ears and tail disappeared. “How long did it take for you to figure it out?”

The butterfly witch chuckled. “It just takes a lot of practice, Atsushi,” she said. Her whole body turned purple before she transformed into a blue butterfly. She flew over and landed on his hand when he reached out. “Once you’ve had enough practice, you’ll be able to fully transform into your animal theme.”

“But I’ve been practicing since I got here, and I’m nowhere near getting it right,” Atsushi grumbled.

Yosano flew off his hand before transforming back into her human form. “Just be patient, kiddo,” she said. “You’ll master it soon. Now, let’s go ahead and practice your regeneration magic.”

“Okay…”

* * *

Blades clashing could be heard in the mountains and a few rocks were destroyed. Two figured in black with a red aura were clashing together from many directions. Akutagawa grunted as his back collided with the stone wall of the mountain and coughed a bit. Chuuya floated in the air a bit, blades sticking out of his arms and back as he looked at down at his pupil.

This wasn't right. Akutagawa was never this sloppy. The ginger deactivated his wavelength and landed on his feet as he retracted his blades within his body and narrowed his blue eyes.

"Ryuu, you seem a bit distracted today," he said. "Would you care to explain why?"

The demon scythe looked away. "It's nothing. Let's just continue," he denied.

Chuuya's eyes softened. "It's about the mission, isn't it?"

The raven haired young man flinched at that, cursing himself for giving himself away from his emotions alone.

".... I failed, Chuuya-san," he admitted bitterly. "After everything that I've done to get stronger, I still failed to become a Death Scythe. How are you not disappointed?"

The Death Scythe sighed at this. "Ryuu, I'm not disappointed," he said. "Not in the least. What happened was just a hiccup. It happens to everyone."

Akutagawa looked away. "It doesn't matter if it was a hiccup, I still failed!!"

Chuuya frowned. "Are you blaming Atsushi?"

"NO!!"

Both scythes flinched at the way Akutagawa had raised his voice before he calmed down.

"Apologies, Chuuya-san… I didn't mean to yell… but I'll never put the blame of Jinko. He helped me get this far."

The ginger grinned. "I just needed to be sure, Ryuu," he said before he gave a teasing smirk. "And it's good to know that you're so protective of your Meister~"

The raven haired man blushed madly at this, cursing himself for getting caught.

"I'm just teasing you, calm down," Chuuya laughed before tapping the other on the forehead. "But seriously, don't worry about it. Think of it as an opportunity to get stronger. And learn from your mistakes."

Akutagawa looked up at him before nodding. "Yes, sir."

"Good. Now let's get back to training."

* * *

Atsushi walked down the hall when he spotted his weapon and rushed towards him.

"Hey, Ryuu, how was your training?" He asked.

“It was fine,” Akutagawa replied. “How was magic lessons?”

“I still haven’t mastered transformation yet, but I’ve been doing pretty good in regeneration magic,” the witch boy replied.

“See anyone in the infirmary with Yosano-sensei?”

“Yeah, Tanizaki. It’s weird though. I thought he would be okay with Kenji on their mission.”

“Did you ask him how he ended up there?”

“I didn’t get the chance. He was still traumatized by Yosano’s treatment.”

“I’m pretty sure anyone would be traumatized.”

As they had this conversation, both had arrived to Kunikida’s classroom and entered quietly as the blonde was still giving his lecture. Gin waved over to them and the two slipped into their saved seats.

“Hey, Gin,” Atsushi whispered in greeting. “What did we miss?”

“Not much,” Gin replied. “Just the usual lectures. Nobody got hit with a chair this time.”

“That’s a surprise,” Akutagawa mumbled as they faced the lecture.

“Hey, guys, how did your mission with that warlock go?” Tachihara asked quietly.

Both scythe meister and weapon flinched before a depressing blue aura fell over them.

“We don’t wanna talk about it,” Atsushi said in shame.

Gin hit Tachihara in the side with a glare, causing the latter to grunt in pain.

“Ow! What!?” Tachihara hissed.

“You moron, look what you did!” Gin hissed back.

Kyouka and Shirayuki looked behind them.

“You guys should probably stop talking,” Kyouka informed.

The group of four looked to see Kunikida glaring at them.

“Do the four of you have something to share?” he asked in a threatening tone. “If so, then please do share with the whole class.”

Gin immediately pointed at Tachihara, who gaped in shock.

"Tachihara?" Kunikida asked expectantly. "We're waiting."

"Umm, uh, umm," Tachihara said, sweating nervously. "I THINK CHUUYA-SAN IS REALLY HOT WHEN HE'S MAD!!!!"

……..

Everyone stared at Tachihara in shock, and even Kunikida was a little surprised by this declaration. And people swore that they could feel a dark aura from a distance.

* * *

In the staff office, Dazai had a dark aura as his eyebrow twitched, the pen in his hand held in a _ really _tight grip.

“Who has the nerve to declare such attraction to my chibi,” he said darkly as the pen snapped in his hand.

* * *

Kunikida cleared his throat as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “I see,” he said. “I’m sure Chuuya would appreciate such a compliment. However, it is very inappropriate because he is a Death Scythe and in a relationship with Dazai. So you must understand that he is strictly professional. Understand?”

“Yes, sir,” the knife weapon said in dismay as everyone started snickering at him.

“Moving on.”

* * *

“Tanizaki! Kenji!”

Tanizaki and Kenji turned to see Atsushi and everyone else came up to them.

“Hey, everyone!” Kenji said happily.

“We heard about your mission,” Shirayuki said. “What happened? You and Tanizaki came back severely injured.”

Tanizaki and Kenji looked at each other before looking at everyone else.

“It’s a little hard to explain,” the mirror weapon said. “Can we talk about it during lunch?”

“Isn’t that where we’re all heading?” Akutagawa said, making Tanizaki flinch.

“Come on, Junicihrou, everyone is just worried about us,” the blonde boy assured. “It isn’t right if we keep them in the dark.”

Tanizaki stared at his meister before sighing. “Okay… But let’s have lunch in the library. Don’t want anyone overhearing us.”

When they all gathered in the library for lunch, the whole group went into the far corner to have more privacy.

“We were on a mission to catch the Kishin eggs of the Alcapone family,” Tanizaki started. “It was going alright, until Kenji kinda gave us away, but we managed just fine.”

“So the mission was a success, right?” Atsushi asked.

“Not exactly… See, when we were fighting the gang… Someone else came into the mix…”

* * *

_ Kenji and Tanizaki’s mission _

“Where are those brats!!” Alcapone yelled as they shot everywhere. “Kill them when you find them, damnit!!”

“Your power is really awesome, Junichirou,” Kenji said quietly with a smile as they hid behind the gangsters. “Now we can catch them by surprise!”

“We should’ve done that earlier, but this is better than nothing,” Tanizaki mumbled as he hid both himself and Kenji within the illusion.

Suddenly, the doors burst open and a black sword flew into one of the gang members, stabbing him in the heart before he turned into a Kishin egg. The whole gang froze as the sword flew back into the gloved hands of a girl in a black coat and a hood over her head..

Kenji and Tanizaki were confused.

_ ‘Who is she?’ _they both thought at once.

“Hey… I know that sword,” Alcapone said, starting to tremble in fear. “You… You’re with the Port Mafia, aren’t you!?”

The girl walked forward, green heels clicking against the floor.

“I am,” she said monotonously. “And you’re Don Alcapone. My boss said that you have something that belongs to the Port Mafia. A great deal of cargo, yes?” Her black and green sword was gripped tightly in her hand, and Tanizaki grew nervous.

_ ‘Port Mafia?’ _ the mirror weapon thought. _ ‘This is bad! We have to get out of here!’_

“You’ve got the wrong guy!” Alcapone begged. “I swear, we didn’t steal nothin’ from you guys!!”

“I looked around your home for myself, and our cargo is there,” the girl responded, seeing through his obvious lie. “The punishment for stealing from us is death.” Her sword glinted. “Now be a man, and die.”

The gangster growled. “Shoot her down!!!”

Kenji and Tanizaki flinched as the whole gang began shooting at the intruder, but they all screamed when they were slaughtered right before the meister and weapon pair’s eyes, Alcapone being the only one who didn’t get killed.

Alcapone was shaking as the girl walked closer to him.

"Damn bitch!!" He yelled. "I'll teach you to mess with the Alcapone family!!"

The machine gun was knocked out of his hand and the girl caught it before sticking it into his mouth.

"You should really think of the consequences of your actions," the girl said emotionlessly. "That's why you're going to die tonight."

Alcapone started mumbling something that couldn't be heard properly because the gun was in his mouth.

"You want to pay us back? Pay it with your life."

Alcapone started to cry and beg for mercy, but it fell on deaf ears.

_ "Goodbye."_

With that, she pulled the trigger and killed Alcapone with his own gun.

The hidden pair flinched as the gangster turned into a Kishin egg. The girl raised her sword before teeth appeared on the blade and opened up to suck all of the Kishin eggs in. Kenji and Tanizaki were stunned at this display. They needed to leave _ now!_

"Is someone there?"

Both flinched when the girl spoke. How could she tell where they were!?

"I can sense someone in the room… why don't you come out?"

Kenji and Tanizaki held their breaths to keep quiet. They hoped that the girl would forget about it and just leave. They were proven wrong when she turned and the last thing they saw was glowing green eyes.

* * *

_ Present _

Everyone was silent as they took in Tanizaki's explanation. So someone from the Port Mafia had arrived and took the Kishin eggs.

"Does Lord Death know?" Atsushi asked.

"Yeah, we gave him the full report of what happened," Tanizaki said. "And he's said to keep quiet about it."

Akutagawa frowned at this. He wondered if he should keep his guard up if there Port Mafia was getting involved in Kishin hunts. He reached over and gave Atsushi's hand a light squeeze, which the witch boy was more than happy to return.

"What do you guys think will happen?" Tachihara asked. "Think they might show up at some point?"

"They've never been active in Death City before," Kyouka said. "So it's strange that they would just show up in the middle of someone's mission."

"Why are we worrying about it?" Kenji asked, making everyone confused. "Lord Death already knows what to do by now. So let's just leave it to the staff, okay?"

Everyone stared at the farm boy in disbelief before sighing.

"Sometimes I do envy your nonchalance, Miyazawa," the demon scythe mumbled.

Kenji simply blinked in confusion.

* * *

_ Death Room _

Lord Death stood before the entire academy staff. On his left stood Dazai and Chuuya and on his right stood Yosano and Ranpo. Standing before him were Kunikida and two women in kimonos. One in pink and the other in yellow and a black cape.

“Now,” the reaper started, “as you all know, Kenji and Junichirou’s mission went south after a member of the Port Mafia arrived and destroyed the Alcapone gang. From what they explained, the large group of Kishin had stolen something from them, and were ‘punished’ as they described it.”

“That means that he’s probably back in town,” Chuuya said bitterly.

“I didn’t think the old bastard would come back,” Yosano scoffed. “He’s got some nerve.”

“I must agree, especially after what he did four years ago,” the woman in a pink kimono agreed. “To think that we had been fooled into trusting him once.”

“And now he’s returned,” the woman in the yellow kimono said calmly. “Do you think that the girl they described was sent as a message of his return?”

“Not likely,” Ranpo said, surprisingly serious. “It seems she was only sent to do her job, and nothing more than that. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have attacked them the way she had.”

“And judging from Kenji’s and Tanizaki’s injuries from earlier, she’s more than likely received a lot of training from him,” Dazai said.

Chuuya noticed his lover’s hand was shaking a little and grabbed it to give it a light squeeze in comfort.

“Lord Death, what do you think we should do?” Kunikida asked seriously. “If the Port Mafia has come to Death City, then the worst case scenario might come to pass.”

“Yes, indeed,” Lord Death hummed. “How soon did Fukuzawa say he was returning?”

“In three days time,” Ranpo answered.

“Then I think it would be best if we wait until everyone is here," the reaper said. "Fukuzawa is one of the wisest meisters we've ever had and equal in power to the Port Mafia boss."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Until then. Everyone. Stay alert."

* * *

In the dead of night, an old man with gray hair slicked back and a monocle on his right eye walked towards two double red double doors, two guards on either side, before opening them up and entering.

Sitting at a desk was a middle aged man with dark hair tied back.

"Boss Mori," the old man greeted with a bow. "The Order of Magic is expecting us. And I don't believe that they are happy with you."

Mori simply smiled. "Well, it's good that my little project has grabbed their attention," he said. "It means the test run was a resounding success~" The man got up from his desk and walked around it as snakes slithered at his feet as he walked towards the dark curtains on the other side of the room. "It's time for the jewel of the Port Mafia to finally make her appearance to the Order of Magic."

He waved his hand and the snakes slithered towards the curtains to open them up before bring turned into rope to keep them open. Mori walked into the room to find a young girl with green hair sleeping in a hospital bed. When he got close to her, he gave a gentle smile as he gently held her face in his hands.

"Kirin," he called in a gentle tone. "My angel, are you awake by any chance? Won't you answer to a poor old warlock's call before another angel takes him."

It was then that his smile turned sinister.

_ "The lullaby has ended, my dear."_

At this call, the girl opened her eyes to reveal a glowing iridescent green.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there you have it! Tell me what you guys think in the comments. Constructive criticism is welcome!
> 
> And here's the update of the lists!
> 
> Meisters:  
Atsushi  
Dazai  
Kunikida  
Lord Death (obviously)  
Kenji  
Kyouka  
Kouyou  
Fukuzawa
> 
> Weapons:  
Akutagawa - scythe  
Chuuya - scythe  
Shirayuki (Demon Snow) - katana  
Tanizaki - mirror  
Gin - gun  
Tachihara - knife  
Konjaki (Golden Demon) - katana
> 
> Witches/Warlocks:  
Atsushi - tiger  
Yosano - butterfly  
Poe - ???  
Mori - snake
> 
> That's all for now! As I've said, the list will continue for every character introduction!
> 
> See you next time!


	4. Port Mafia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The most feared organization in the history of magic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello.
> 
> How you doing?
> 
> I've brought a new chapter.
> 
> Enjoy.

The Order of Magic.

The council where all witches and warlocks come together for a meeting between one of the few most feared and dangerous organizations in the history of magic.

The Order of the Clock Tower. A group of witches and warlocks who bring order to Europe. They had a habit of referring to themselves as _ knights, _though no one ever understood why. They were also responsible for attempting to turn Kishins into military soldiers, and were involved with this attempt on a group of Kishins called Mimic. However, after that attempt had failed, no other further attempts with other Kishins were made.

The Rats in the House of the Dead. An organization consisting of rat warlocks. There really wasn’t much to go on about them, other than their leader was supposedly a genius among other warlocks of his caliber. They were also distinguished by their logo of a cartoon rat. Very silly in the eyes of the elder witches and warlocks, but this group was well known and feared nonetheless.

Finally, the Port Mafia. The most dangerous of magic organizations. It had once been ruled by a Kishin whose only concern was bloodlust, but since Ougai Mori had taken over, it became an organization who operated in the darkness of magic. As of now, Mori is the only known warlock in the Port Mafia while the rest of its members are simply Meisters and Demon Weapons.

Witches and warlocks were known to be mostly independent, but these organizations make sure that order among magic is solely seeded in each and every one of them.

* * *

Within the castle hidden in the realm of magic, Mori walked with Hirotsu and Elise as they walked through the halls, holding a calm air as he passed by the other witches and warlocks.

“Boss, are you sure you want to present her to the whole council?” Hirostu asked in concern.

“Trust me, Hirostu, she’s more than ready,” the warlock said with a smile.

“You sound really confident, Rintarou,” Elise commented. “The council will find her repulsive when they see what she is.”

“That’s all the better, Elise-chan,” Mori said, chuckling. “It’s not everyday that they see something that was successfully accomplished.”

“What if they’ll want Kirin for themselves?”

“Kirin knows where her loyalties lie. After all, I gave her food and a roof over her head.”

When they reached their destination, Mori sat on a cushioned chair and placed his elbows on the table and interlaced his fingers together.

“You’re late, Mori. That’s so unlike you.”

The warlock smiled. “My apologies. I had a slight delay on my way here.”

Another warlock in an ushanka hat grinned. “Oh? Pray tell, what was this delay?”

“I too am curious,” said a blonde witch, sipping tea. “Do tell what the delay was about.”

“I’m sure you can both take a guess, Fyodor. Agatha.”

Fyodor Dostoevsky, leader of the Rats in the House of the Dead. Agatha Christie, leader of the Order of the Clock Tower. Both respected in the realm of magic, and one of the few most calculating witches and warlocks in the history of magic.

“Is this delay involving this new little project of yours?” the rat warlock asked. “Because it has caused a lot of trouble.”

“Indeed,” the witch agreed. “So much trouble that it has even gone and attacked students from the DWMA. I do hope that you know it would unsettle the council very much just from that alone.”

“Now, now, let’s not jump to conclusions,” the snake warlock said calmly. “Those students were just a mere coincidence. My project was simply in the middle of disposing a group of Kishin that stole from the Port Mafia, and she was sent to punish them. She had no idea that there would be DWMA students lurking around.”

“She?” Agatha asked, eyebrow raised.

“Ah, yes, how rude of me,” Mori said with a smile. “Kirin, come forward, my dear.”

Every witch and warlock sitting on the balconies leaned forward towards the center at the bottom floor. Clicking of heels could be heard from a distance, and the girl in the black coat walked forward to the center before stopping. Her green hair shined a bit in the light, and iridescent green eyes looked up at all of the witches and warlocks.

“Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce the jewel of the Port Mafia,” Mori said proudly.

“A child?” Agatha said in disbelief. “You must be joking.”

“I assure you that I am not joking,” the snake warlock said. “Aren’t owls supposed to be intelligent?”

The owl witch calmly ignored the jab at her animal theme. It wouldn’t do for a lady to get angry so easily. “Even so, what’s so special about her that you would give her such a title?”

“Why don’t you watch and see?” Mori said before nodding to Kirin.

Kirin looked at the boss before pulling up the sleeve of her coat a little to expose her wrist. She then took out a needle and stuck it into her skin before pulling back to see a drop of something black drip out.

“Armageddon…”

Suddenly, the black ink slipped out in order to form a black and green sword into her gloved hand. Everyone began to whisper amongst themselves, and Fyodor noticed something about Kirin’s blood.

“Mori,” he said. “Her blood… What did you do to it?”

Mori smiled. “You’re a genius, aren’t you, Fyodor?” he said. “I’m sure you’ve already figured it out.”

The rat warlock narrowed his eyes. “You’ve created black blood…”

Everyone gasped and started hurtling questions in shock. The snake warlock remained calm in this situation as Hirotsu narrowed his eyes at the many questions, mostly demands of the reason to make such an ‘abomination’ as they called Kirin.

“Kirin, my dear, it seems that everyone is quite frightened,” Mori said to the girl. “Let’s show them what to really be afraid of, hm?”

Kirin simply nodded in response. “Yes, Boss…”

“Why don’t one of you volunteer to test her strength?” the Port Mafia boss challenged. Agatha and Fyodor raised their eyebrows at this. “You can’t all possibly be afraid of her if you don’t even know why you should be. Come now, just give her a good exercise~”

Agatha huffed. “Very well. Who shall volunteer?”

“I will.”

Everyone turned to see a large man go forward and stand in front of Kirin, who simply looked up at him with a look of indifference.

“Alexander Pushkin,” Mori hummed. “So nice of you to volunteer.”

“Alexander,” Fyodor said in a warning tone.

“Don’t worry, Boss,” Pushkin said as she smirked down at the girl. “Far as I know, the brat is pewny. Even with the sword. My magic will make her squirm.”

“You’re bald,” Kirin said to him bluntly.

A vein popped on Pushkin’s head. “What was that?” he demanded angrily.

“I said you’re bald,” the girl said again. “The only hair you have is that small tuft.”

Pushkin growled at this and raised his fist. “Little bitch!!” he yelled before throwing his fist down, only for it to be stopped by Kirin’s hand.

Everyone whispered amongst themselves as Pushkin gaped in shock at how easily Kirin stopped his punch.

“Boss always tells me that big men like you get angry easily,” the girl said as her grip on the fist tightened. “Why is that?” Her grip got tighter and tighter until everyone heard a sharp snap.

Pushkin screamed out in pain as his hand was released and he gripped it tightly. Fyodor glanced at the smirking Mori with a calm and calculating expression. His subordinate glared at the girl before he began to chant.

_ Rat, rata, rato…_

_ Rat teeth!!_

A giant purple rat appeared and took a giant chomp out of the girl. Pushkin smirked in victory before the giant rat was decapitated from the inside and Kirin stepped out of the body, looking completely unharmed.

“What… what is this?” the rat warlock said in disbelief.

Kirin calmly brought her sword to her wrist and cut it to allow black blood ooze out before she flung her wrist forward and a black blade was pointed at Pushkin’s neck, making the large rat warlock freeze on the spot.

“If you step back, my blood will only follow you,” Kirin said monotonously, causing the large man to start sweating.

“Mori… what kind of monster have you made?” Fyodor demanded lightly.

“Monster?” Mori asked in mock surprise before grinning. “I have not made a monster. I have simply made an advanced weapon and meister pair, that’s all~”

“Her weapon…”

“We like to refer to him as the Demon Sword. Quite fitting, don’t you think?”

“He’s in her blood. Does he no longer have a physical form?”

“Ah, another rude mistake. Kirin, be a dear and introduce Armageddon to everyone~”

Kirin looked up at her boss and nodded before both blades disappeared. Everyone waited with bated breath as something began to manifest from the girl's body. A large black lump appeared from her back before it started to take shape. Long boney arms stuck out and an ungodly groan was heard throughout the room. A head began to form as well, but half of its face was a skull with long devil horns that curved over its head.

Everyone gasped in horror as the being called 'Armageddon' emerged from Kirin's back and the creature have a ghoulish groan.

"Well, what does everyone think?" Mori said with a smile. "Astonishing, isn't he?"

"What is that monstrosity!?" A warlock yelled.

"This is the Demon Sword, Armageddon. A faithful weapon partner for Kirin. They make the most formidable partnership, no?"

Fyodor and Agatha observed the creature before looking at Mori.

"The DWMA won't be too happy about this," the owl witch said.

"They won't be able to do much about it, since Kirin has already sworn her loyalty to the Port Mafia."

Armageddon twisted his head around the crowd. "This lot is so noisy!" He groaned. "All this yapping and yelling is so annoying!"

"Calm yourself, Armageddon," Mori ordered. "It won't do to be angry by some silly noises."

The demon sword simply groaned and stayed quiet after the order was given. Kirin looked up at Mori, waiting for the next order to be given, which caused the boss to smile.

"I think that's enough," Mori said, getting up from his seat. "Now you all will have to excuse us. Business calls elsewhere."

Hirotsu bowed and followed the boss.

"Come, Kirin. It's time to go home."

Kirin bowed to everyone before turning and leaving. Everyone simply sat by and watched them leave, all except two.

* * *

As the group walked through the dark hall, Mori turned to his project with a smile. “You did excellent, Kirin,” he said. “I’m very proud of you.”

“Thank you, Boss,” Kirin said, not bothering to face him.

“Now, for your next task, you will go with Hirotsu to construct business,” the snake warlock said. “There’s a new group who wishes to form an alliance with Port Mafia for a price, especially after the incident with the Alcapone family.”

The girl simply nodded before the whole group stopped when two people approached them.

“Ougai Mori,” a young witch with red hair said with a hard look. “What is the meaning of you creating this abomination.”

Armageddon hissed at the witch, and Mori raised his hand to calm the demon sword down.

“Whatever do you mean, Lucy dear,” he said with a smile. “You’ve never been concerned with my affairs before. Why start now?”

“Because you used to be associated with the DWMA,” Lucy responded. “What’s your goal with this creature?”

“Ah, I see Poe is with you,” the snake warlock said, dodging the question. “I heard you used a doppelganger spell in order to escape the proteges of Double Black.”

“Do not dodge the question, Mori,” Poe said with a narrowed glare. “What’s the meaning of this girl’s existence in the Port Mafia? What are you planning?”

Mori sighed at the persistence. “You know, just because you’re in the Guild does not mean that you have any business with the council anymore,” he said. “Not since Melville stepped down and gave his position as leader to some rich man with no magic.”

Both witch and warlock glared at him at that.

“And just so you don’t go around trying to snoop in our business again…” The boss removed his white gloves and handed them to Hirotsu. In one swift motion, he stuck both of his hands in their mouths, causing them to gasp in shock. His hands lingered for a moment before he removed them, skin covered in a bit of their saliva.

“Boss, are we done?” Kirin asked monotonously. “I’d like to go home.”

“Of course, Kirin,” Mori said as he wiped his hands.

“Hey! What did you just do to us!” Lucy demanded, trembling as Poe coughed a little.

“Oh, you’ll see, Miss Montgomery,” the snake warlock said with a dark grin. “Give my regards to Fitzgerald.”

With that, they all left the two alone to return to their headquarters.

* * *

Dazai stared at the picture of three men from four years ago. Himself and two other men. He had been eighteen at the time, and the other two were much older than he was in this picture. He felt the arms of his lover wrap around his neck and a chin was placed on his head.

“We all miss him, Osamu,” Chuuya murmured.

Dazai grinned up at his chibi. “I thought you didn’t like him~”

The ginger scoffed at that. “That’s not true, and you damn well know it.”

The brunette couldn’t help but laugh a little at that before silence fell on them for a while. Both stared at the photo for a moment before the bandaged Meister put it away on the shelf.

“Even to this day, I can’t forgive Mori for what he did,” Dazai said. “First, he killed Odasaku’s weapon partner after you became a Death Scythe, and then he went and got him killed on a suicide mission to stop Mimic. I should’ve done more back then…”

Chuuya frowned and made his lover look at him. “It wasn’t your fault,” he said. “If you couldn’t save Soda, then no one could. All we can do for him is to move forward.”

The brunette grinned a little. “My chibi darling is so wise~”

The petite Death Scythe scoffed. “Call me chibi again, and you’ll be sleeping on the couch.”

Dazai pouted at that. “Fine~” He then gave a cheeky grin. “Can I have my dessert now~?”

“Do your fucking paperwork, asshole,” Chuuya said bluntly.

“Chibi!”

“Don’t ‘chibi’ me, you lazy ass!”

The brunette groaned before turning to his paperwork with a pout. “Chibi darling is so mean…”

The ginger rolled his eyes. “If you get the job done, I might give you a reward,” he said.

Dazai perked up at that. "Oh?'

Chuuya grinned. "If you do _ all _of your paperwork in record time, I'll give you your dessert~"

"I'll get this done in thirty minutes!" Dazai said quickly as he rushed through the paperwork on his desk. "No, make it ten!"

The ginger snickered a little. "I might give you extra if you do my work~"

The brunette stopped before giving his lover a look. "Okay, now you're just trying to make me do your work!"

"Why not? You made me do yours all the time, and besides…" The petite Death Scythe leaned down to whisper in his lover's ear. "It'll make me very happy and give you as much love as you want~"

Dazai shivered as Chuuya blew into his ear. "I'll have both of our paperwork done in five minutes…"

"I'll be waiting~" the ginger purred before walking away.

Man, did Chuuya love having power over Dazai at times~

* * *

Atsushi sat on the couch, heterochromic eyes narrowed in deep thought and legs being hugged close to his chest. He couldn't stop thinking about the Port Mafia and how Kenji and Tanizaki had gotten attacked by someone from said mafia. What if that person came back? What if he ended up facing her and her wouldn't be able to beat her? His mind was swimming with so many possibilities that he didn't realize someone was in the living room with him until he heard a tray bring placed down on the coffee table.

The witch boy looked up to see Akutagawa looking down at him.

"Couldn't sleep?" He asked.

Atsushi nodded. "Yeah. Sorry if I worried you," he said. "Just couldn't stop thinking about the Port Mafia."

The demon scythe hummed. "I made warm milk and honey for you," he said as he sat down beside his Meister. "Should help you sleep better."

The tiger witch blinked as he looked to see a steaming hot cup of milk was on the tray, and some tea for Akutagawa. He smiled at his weapon appreciatively before reaching out and taking the cup of milk. He blew on it a few times before taking a gentle sip, tasting the flavor of honey.

"Mmmm…. Thanks, Ryuu," Atsushi said with a warm smile. "It's delicious!"

Akutagawa blushed at this before turning away. "It's no problem, Jinko…"

Both sat in silence as they sipped their respective drinks. It was a comfortable silence, as neither wanted to wake up the girls since they were all still asleep. Akutagawa was usually a light sleeper, so that was how he knew that Atsushi was still awake this late at night. The scythe knew his Meister couldn't get to sleep when something was on his mind, so as his weapon partner he needed to be there for him. It wasn't always about combat, as Chuuya had taught him.

"Hey, Ryuu?" Atsushi asked.

"Yes, Jinko?" Akutagawa replied.

"..... What're we gonna do if we run into the Port Mafia?" The witch boy asked. "I know it's a slim chance, but… if we do, will we have to fight?"

The demon scythe was silent for a moment. He understood his Meister's worrying over the Port Mafia, especially after what happened to Kenji and Tanizaki. He reached out and held his partner's hand gently.

"Don't worry about for now," he said. "When the time comes, Lord Death will know what to do. Miyazawa and Tanizaki already explained everything, so we can assume the staff is already handling it. Right now, all we need to focus on is regaining the 99 Kishin eggs we'll need to collect again."

Atsushi stared at his partner before smiling and laying his head on the other's shoulder, closing his eyes. "Yeah, you're right…"

Akutagawa tensed up at how close his partner was being relaxing.

"Hey, Ryuu?"

"Yes?"

"I'm glad we're partners…"

This surprised the scythe before he smiled and leaned his head against the other's while closing his own silver eyes. "So am I…"

_ 'I won't let any harm come to you, Jinko,' _ he thought to himself as he squeezed his partner's hand. _ 'Especially not the Port Mafia. I swear it.' _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I couldn't figure out how else to end it but hoped you liked it!
> 
> Instead of Witch Order, I figured I could replace them with Order of Magic, since it's both witches and warlocks in this au.
> 
> Updated lists!
> 
> Meisters:  
Atsushi  
Dazai  
Kunikida  
Lord Death  
Kenji  
Kyouka  
Kouyou  
Fukuzawa  
Kirin
> 
> Weapons:  
Akutagawa - scythe  
Chuuya - scythe  
Tanizaki - mirror  
Shirayuki - katana  
Gin - gun  
Tachihara - knife  
Konjaki - katana  
Armageddon - sword
> 
> Witches/Warlocks:  
Atsushi - tiger  
Yosano - butterfly  
Poe - ???  
Lucy - ???  
Mori - snake  
Fyodor - rat  
Agatha - owl  
Pushkin - rat
> 
> Well that's all for now folks! If you liked the chapter, please leave a comment and a kudo!
> 
> Until next time!


	5. Soul Resonance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Double Black's pupils end up slacking off, the headmaster decides to put their skills to the test. And it all depends on handling one man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! It's your favorite author back with a new chapter of _Soul Dogs!_
> 
> As you all can tell from the recent tag change and the summary, I think you can all guess who is going to be introduced ~ (｀ω´)
> 
> Enjoy!

Atsushi breathed out as he ran through the streets, chasing after a kishin soul in the night. It had been a week since the incident with Poe, and both him and Akutagawa had to work ten times harder than they’ve ever had to when they first became partners. Surprisingly enough, neither of their mentors were upset with them, rather encouraged them to try harder.

Although Dazai did complain to Chuuya on how he taught Akutagawa to use the same trick the Death Scythe used on him back in their days as students of the DWMA, to which Chuuya had only shrugged it off like it was no big deal.

When the kishin leaped up into the air, the witch boy jumped after it before striking it in one swipe of his scythe, turning the kishin into an egg. Akutagawa turned back into his human form and took the kishin egg in his hand before devouring it.

“That makes it Kishin egg number 20,” Atsushi said, eyes drooping a little.

The demon scythe raised an eyebrow at his Meister. “Jinko, are you feeling alright?” he asked, noting the bags under his eyes.

Atsushi grinned a little. “I’m alright,” he said. “Just a little tired…”

Akutagawa frowned at this before placing his hands in his pockets. “Let’s just go ahead and go home,” he said before beginning to walk away.

“R-right!” Atsushi said before quickly following his partner.

Chuuya had on a frown as he and Lord Death watched the two from the mirror. The Death Scythe could tell that Atsushi wasn’t getting much sleep because he’s rushing to get more Kishin eggs. He hoped Akutagawa wasn’t pushing him too hard, or Dazai either. Speaking of which, he gave his Meister a look and said Meister raised his hands up in mock surrender.

“I swear, I’m not encouraging him to push himself too hard,” Dazai said quickly.

“Oh really? Like how you put it into Ryuu’s head that he wasn’t worthy of being my successor?” Chuuya accused.

“That was a long time ago!” the brunette argued. “And I said I was sorry!”

“Sorry ain’t good enough, you sleazy bastard!”

“Gah!” Dazai yelled, holding his heart. “Chibi! That hurts! That hurts so bad!”

The petite Death Scythe grunted when the bandaged man draped himself over his lover dramatically. “Oi! Mackerel, get off!!”

“I can’t!” the brunette whined. “You’ve wounded my heart! After everything I’ve done for you!” The fingers of his right hand walked down the other’s back. “There’s only one way for me to feel better!” 

“What could possibly make you feel better about-- GAH!!!” The ginger yelped as he felt a familiar hand start groping his ass.

“Ah, so nice and soft~” Dazai sighed happily with a blush as he felt up his lover’s backside.

_ CHOP _

Dazai lay on the ground with a large dent in his head as Lord Death had an annoyed look on his face.

“Would it kill you to keep your hands to yourself for five minutes?” the reaper asked irritably.

Chuuya simply glared down at his unconscious lover. “Idiot…”

“Before I forget,” Lord Death said after retracting his large hand and looking at his weapon. “Chuuya, I think it’s time your pupil’s group be introduced to him.”

Blue eyes widened. “Lord Death… You wanna introduce them to  _ him? _ ” he asked. “You know he’s a little unstable. They might not be able to handle him that well.”

“Trust me, Chuuya,” the reaper said, “I’m fairly certain that they are more than ready. Fukuzawa has already discussed it with him, and they’ve already got a plan of action for the whole group. Besides, isn’t it your duty as Akutagawa’s mentor to have faith in them?”

The Death Scythe chuckled. “You’ve got me there,” he said.

“Besides, it’d be more hell for them if Yosano was working with him.” Lord Death said.

Chuuya shivered. “God, those two in the same room with each other is never a good idea…”

* * *

_ Two weeks later _

Atsushi snored lightly as he lay his head on the desk. Akutagawa glanced at his Meister in concern. He could’ve sworn he told Jinko to go to bed when they got home last night. What gives? The scythe glanced at Kunikida, who was busy giving the lecture and writing instructions on the board, before reaching over and shaking the witch boy awake.

“Jinko, wake up,” he whispered.

The witch boy jerked his head up. “Hm?”

“Wake up before Kunikida sees you.”

The Meister sat up and rubbed his eyes in an effort to wake himself up before Kunikida noticed that he was barely awake. “Sorry…” he whispered back.

“I do hope that you’re not developing that bandage squandering machine’s sleeping habits, kid,” Kunikida called, making the two partners flinch.

“No, Kunikida-san! I promise I’m not!” Atsushi said quickly.

The older Meister simply huffed before going back to the lesson. The witch boy sighed in relief before he started reminiscing about the current situation. Him and Akutagawa were eighty more souls away from finally making the weapon into a Death Scythe. They weren’t too far behind from Kyouka and Shirayuki, who’ve managed to collect thirty-five Kishin eggs. Kenji and Tanizaki would’ve gotten close to ninety-nine, had it not been for a member of the Port Mafia interfering. Gin and Tachihara were kind of in the same boat as him and Akutagawa, because they had accidently destroyed a pyramid during their mission, which resulted in their Kishin eggs being confiscated as punishment.

But lately, neither meister or weapon groups have been gathering any more Kishin eggs the past two weeks. Probably due to exhaustion, or lack of interest. Maybe he should just sleep on… it…

Zzzzzzz….

He yelped when a book slammed down right in front of him.

“If you want to avoid falling asleep in my class, I suggest that you get a better sleeping schedule, kid,” Kunikida said as he glared down at the witch boy.

“Sorry, Kunikida-san,” Atsushi said fearfully.

The blonde glared down at the boy one more time before going back to the board. “By the way, Lord Death wants to see you after class,” he said. “Make sure you don’t make him wait when it’s time. He has a busy schedule.”

Both Meister and Weapon partners blinked and looked at each other for a moment, wondering what the headmaster could possibly want with them. They knew they weren’t in trouble, so this must’ve been very important.

“I’m not allowed to disclose what he wants from you,” Kunikida said, as if reading their minds. “You’ll get your answer once you go see him.”

People in the classroom started whispering amongst themselves, theorizing that the two have gotten into trouble. Akutagawa gave everyone a death glare, but Atsushi placed a hand on his shoulder with a look that said they weren’t worth it, instantly making his weapon relax.

* * *

The weapon and meister group stood before Lord Death's mirror, actively listening to what the reaper had to say to them.

“Now, I’ve called you all here because there is something that has become deeply concerning,” Lord Death said.

All held their breaths.

“It concerns the lack of Kishin hunting for the past two weeks.”

Everyone turned white after that. Save for Kenji, who simply had on a smile.

“Over the past two weeks, you lot have gotten rather lazy,” the reaper continued. “The majority of you have already come so far. I know it’s been rough for some of you, what with the failed missions before and all that, but that’s no excuse to slack off on your Kishin hunting.”

Everyone turned to stone after that. Except for Kenji, who kept smiling.

“So, to make up for this, I have a special task for you.”

Everyone perked up at that.

“Fukuzawa has recently returned, but unfortunately, he’s been captured by an old acquaintance of mine. He goes by the name of Doctor Franken Stein.”

"Wait,  _ the  _ Doctor Franken Stein?" Akutagawa asked in surprise. 

Atsushi looked at his weapon partner in confusion. "Who's Doctor Franken Stein?" He asked. 

Everyone looked at him in surprise. 

"He's one of the strongest Meisters ever," Tanizaki answered. "But he's also said to be a mad scientist."

"A mad scientist?"

“Yes, a mad scientist,” Lord Death confirmed. "He's known to conduct a few experiments, but he's also one of the best doctors out there. That's why you need to get Fukuzawa out before he can get a chance to experiment on him."

Everyone, save for Kenji, felt rather uneasy about this. They weren't so keen on the idea of facing a mad scientist, even if he was a Meister. 

"Come on, guys! I bet he's a really nice guy!" Kenji said with great enthusiasm. "If we ask him nicely, he might let Fukuzawa-san go!"

_ 'I don't think it's that simple,'  _ they all thought. 

* * *

Atsushi and Akutagawa walked forward down the hall to go see their mentors. They wanted to have a chat with them about something before their group took off to go save Fukuzawa, and the duo briefly wondered what the feared Double Black wanted to talk to them about.

“Maybe it’s about this Dr. Stein guy,” the witch boy said. “They have to know him, so maybe they’re going to give us some tips?”

“I highly doubt that, knowing Dazai-san,” the demon scythe said.

“Right,” Atsushi said with a nervous laugh.

_ “Ah~ Damnit Dazai-- Mmm!” _

“Sometimes, I wonder what Chuuya-san even sees in him,” Akutagawa grumbled.

_ “No need to be so shy, darling~” _

“Well, he keeps Dazai-san grounded at least,” Atsushi offered.

_ “Someone will-- ahn --walk in…” _

“A little too grounded, I would say…”

_ “It’s just us two, chibi~ No worries~” _

“Well, you have to admit that they are a pretty good pair,” Atsushi said as they both arrived at the door.

Akutagawa reached out and turned the knob before pushing the door open.

“Dazai-san, Chuuya-san, we’re--”

Both young men froze as they caught sight of their mentors in a position that they would rather not see in a  _ million years. _

Chuuya was sitting on the desk with his shirt pulled down a little past his shoulders, and Dazai was against him, lips latched onto the Death Scythe’s collarbone. Both slowly looked when someone walked in through the door and called to them.

Chuuya gaped in horror at the sight of their pupils with a mad blush while Dazai gave an annoyed look.

“Do you mind? We’re busy here.”

_ SMACK _

Steam puffed out of Chuuya’s head as he stood beside Dazai in anger and buttoned his shirt back up, giving a heated glare to his lover to show him how angry he was. The brunette only stood there with a cheerful smile and a black eye. Atsushi and Akutagawa sweat dropped at their mentors, wishing that they didn’t witness what they just witnessed.

“Glad you both could come, our dearest pupils!” Dazai started, clapping his hands together. “We’re going to give you a quick lesson before you head off to see Dr. Screw!”

“Dr. Screw…?” the witch boy questioned.

“He means Dr. Stein,” Chuuya corrected.

“Right, right, Dr. Stein,” Dazai confirmed.

Atsushi looked at his partner, silently asking why the bandaged man called Dr. Stein “Dr. Screw”, but Akutagawa simply shook his head, silently telling his Meister not to ask.

“Okay, so um… what are you going to teach us today?” the witch boy asked.

Dazai gave a grin before holding his hand out to his lover. "Shall we, darling~?"

Chuuya gave him a glare. "If you molest me in my weapon form again…"

"Don't worry. I won't molest you again~"

"I don't fucking believe you."

And yet, the ginger reached out and took his lover’s hand anyway before transforming into his scythe form. Dazai gave a grin as he looked at their pupils.

“Now, pay close attention to what we’re about to teach you,” he instructed. “Ready, Chuuya?”

Chuuya grunted in response.

_ “Soul Resonance!” _

Both young Meister and Weapon pair stared in awe at their mentors as their souls seemed to be coming together as one, and Chuuya’s blade seemed to be glowing before it turned into a large red blade.

_ “Witch Hunter,”  _ Dazai said with a smile.

“Oh, wow,” Atsushi said in awe.

“This is called Soul Resonance,” the bandaged meister explained. “A technique that is used between Meister and Weapon, their souls coming together to form powerful abilities of a particular kind of weapon and meister pair. And very soon, you two will be able to use this technique, and bring your souls closer together.”

“That’s incredible,” the witch boy said in awe.

Akutagawa grinned a little at his Meister.

“This ability that you are seeing right now is an ability called  _ Witch Hunter, _ ” Dazai said. “An ability only used by scythe meisters, specifically for killing witches and warlocks alike.”

“Scythe meisters can do that?” Atsushi asked.

“Among other things, yes,” the bandaged meister said before the Death Scythe turned back into his human form after the  _ Witch Hunter  _ wore off. “My darling looks absolutely  _ gorgeous  _ when he’s in  _ Witch Hunter  _ form, don’t you agree~?”

“Shut the fuck up,” the petite Death Scythe said with a glare.

“Oh, I’ll gladly shut up,” Dazai said, invading Chuuya’s space. “If my tongue is down your thro--”

_ CHOP _

Atsushi and Akutagawa stared at Dazai as he lay face down on the ground with a dent on his head with Lord Death looming over them.

“Sometimes I wonder why I even allowed you two to stay partners,” the reaper told his Death Scythe as he retracted his hand.

“Yeah, I’m kinda starting to reconsider,” Chuuya agreed.

That seemed to make Dazai recover fast as he jumped up and hugged Chuuya by the waist. “Chuuya!! How could you say that!?” he cried out. “After all I've done for you!! I’ve given you my heart!! My body!! My soul!! And this is the thanks I get!?”

The ginger rolled his eyes before returning the embrace. “God, can’t you take a joke…?”

Atsushi and Akutagawa sweat dropped at this.

“Um, we’ll just be going now,” the witch boy said awkwardly, his weapon nodding in agreement.

“Before you go,” Lord Death said, gaining everyone’s attention, “I must warn you that Dr. Stein isn’t like any other opponent you’ve faced. He’s not a Kishin or a Warlock, but that doesn’t mean you should let your guard down. He’s one of the strongest Meisters for a reason.”

Both Weapon and Meister pair nodded.

“We’ll be careful, Lord Death,” Atsushi said.

“Good luck!”

Dazai and Chuuya watched their pupils leave before the bandaged Meister turned to the reaper. “I’m surprised that you decided to let  _ him  _ of all people test their strength,” he said. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re questioning our teaching skills.”

“I always have faith in Chuuya’s ability to teach Akutagawa, Dazai,” Lord Death said. “It’s your teaching ability I question a lot.”

Dazai felt an arrow pierce his spine at that. “Okay… that stung a little…”

“Can’t exactly blame him,” Chuuya said with a shrug.

“Chuuya!” the brunette whined.

“Nonetheless, I have faith in the two of them,” Lord Death said quickly before the two could bicker. “And if anyone can give them a better test, it’s Dr. Stein.”

* * *

_ Nighttime, Patchwork Laboratory _

The group walked forward to see a stitched up laboratory surrounded by a few arrows.

“So, this is Dr. Stein’s laboratory?” Tachihara asked with a grimace. “Looks creepy as hell...”

“Almost like it’s a house and a hospital mixed together,” Tanizaki agreed a little fearfully.

Shirayuki looked up to see the moon snickering down at them. “The moon is amused…,” she said nonchalantly.

“When is it not,” Akutagawa scoffed before going forward.

“Akutagawa wait!” Atsushi said, grabbing his weapon’s wrist and pulling him back a bit. “We can’t just waltz in there! We need a plan!”

The demon scythe was about to argue until the door slowly opened, and everyone turned with bated breaths in anticipation. They could hear wheels rolling from inside the lab, and their heartbeats got louder in their ears as the noise got closer and closer.

What appeared before them was…

Some guy tripped over his chair after he hit the edge of the door. Everyone stared in disbelief as the man grunted.

“Ah, I thought I had it that time,” the man said as he got back up, picking up his chair in the process.

The group flinched at the sight of a screw in the man’s head, and they shuddered when he reached up and started turning it.

“Alright, let’s try that again,” the man said before going back inside the lab.

Everyone looked at each other.

“Is he as scary as everyone thought?” Gin asked.

“Looks more like a weird guy than anything,” Tachihara agreed.

“Perhaps we should stop him,” Kyouka said thoughtfully.

“But we just met him,” Atsushi pointed out. “Isn’t that a bit rude?”

“I’d like to see what happens next,” Shirayuki said.

“Yeah, so would I!” Kenji agreed happily.

“Shh, here it comes,” Tanizaki said as everyone listened to the wheels again.

Everyone stood on their guard as they listened to the wheels and watched the door in anticipation before the doctor came through and tripped over again.

_ ‘Is this guy for real?’  _ everyone besides Kenji thought with sweat drops.

“Damnit! I suppose it can’t be helped,” he sighed as he got up and picked up his chair before sitting down. “So you lot are the group I’ve been waiting for?”

“You knew we were coming?” Atsushi asked in confusion.

“I figured Lord Death would send someone in to get Fukuzawa back,” the doctor said with a casual shrug. “Didn’t think he’d send in a bunch of children.”

“Why did you take Fukuzawa-san hostage?” Atsushi asked seriously. “Revenge? A grudge?”

“No, nothing like that,” the scientist stated casually. “I have a simpler motive: experimentation and observation. That’s all a true scientist cares about. And I am a scientist. Everything in the world is an experimental test subject. Of course, that includes myself as well.”

Everyone looked at Stein as if he was insane, but the witch boy noticed the scientist staring intently at him and his weapon partner.

“Do you feel that, Akutagwa?” he whispered to his partner. “I think something is happening…”

“What do you mean?” Akutgawa whispered back.

Stein looked at the pair as he observed their souls. “Your souls wavelengths aren’t very stable,” he stated. “I can see one soul who’s determined yet hesitant, while the other is impatient and stubborn.” Within his vision of Soul Perception, Stein could see Atsushi’s blue soul with tiger ears and Akutagawa’s red soul and his coat. “They seem to be in resonance, but they’re not.”

Everyone blinked, amazed at this.

“Having the ability to read the souls of a living being,” Akutgawa said observantly. “That proves that you’re a skilled Meister.”

“And only the best Meisters can read the characteristics of the soul, too,” Atsushi agreed.

“So, what. Jinko, you can see the souls of others already, can’t you?”

“Of course I can! Dazai-san’s been teaching me since I got to the DWMA!”

Stein smirked as he read the witch boy’s soul. “Your soul seems confused by that last statement,” he said casually.

“Hey, stop looking at my soul!” Atsushi yelled as he attempted to cover himself as if that would help cover his soul from the scientist’s sight.

“Another thing about the impatient and stubborn one… You’re still trying to get the approval of being your mentor’s successor in the eyes of a certain someone…”

Akutagawa flinched at that, silver eyes widening at the statement.

“Even after all of these years, he’s still so hard on you,” Stein said in a tone that almost sounded like pity. “Well, Dazai has never been one to please so easily.”

The demon scythe clenched his hands into fists, and it made his Meister look at him in worry.

“And you even hold a bit of resentment for your Meister. That’s a real shame.”

“Silence!” Akutagawa demanded angrily. “You know nothing!!”

Everyone flinched at the demon scythe’s anger. Stein, however, didn’t even bat an eye to it, and instead looked towards Tanizaki and Kenji. Tanizaki’s soul was green while Kenji’s was yellow.

“You two seem completely opposite towards one another,” the scientist said bluntly. “One is frightened and lacks in combat while the other is strong and nonchalant.”

Tanizaki flinched at that while Kenji’s eyes sparkled in awe.

“Wow! He really is one of the best Meisters if he can tell that!” the farm boy said.

“Please don’t encourage him, Kenji,” the mirror said dejectedly.

Stein then shifted his gaze to Kyouka and Shirayuki; Kyouka's soul being purple and having her pigtails, and Shirayuki's soul being blue and having her bangs on both sides of her head.

"You two are not in resonance either," he stated to them. "You hold a lot of resentment to your weapon because of what happened to your family."

Kyouka flinched and her blue eyes widened. Everyone looked at the two in concern, but Shirayuki remained stoic.

Stein then shifted his gaze to Tachihara and Gin; Tachihara’s soul was gray and had the signature bandage across his nose while Gin’s soul was magenta and had her mask.

“You two aren’t exactly stable either, always picking fights with one another,” he stated. “It’s hard to believe that you’re partners to begin with.”

“Okay, I’m getting sick of this creep reading our souls,” Tachihara growled angrily. “Just give back Fukuzawa-san and we won’t have to hurt you!”

The scientist merely smiled in amusement. “You want him back that badly?” he asked. “Alright then. Show me what you all are made of, and I might consider letting him go.”

Everyone besides Kenji looked at each other, feeling a bit on edge.

“Come on. Think of it as a way to prove that your souls are in resonance.”

Everyone became unsure of the scientist’s suggestion. Until Kenji spoke.

“Come on, guys, it’ll be like a lesson!” he said encouragingly.

“I wish you would take things more seriously,” Tanizaki said in dismay.

“The farm boy is correct,” Stein stated. “This is considered a lesson, in a way.”

“How?” Atsushi said in confusion. “Lord Death never said anything about a lesson…”

“Why don’t you go ahead and find out? Unless this is too tough for some of you.”

Akutagawa glared before reaching his hand out. “You dare to imply that we are weak?” he said angrily. “If it’s a fight you want, it’s a fight you’ll get. Atsushi, take my hand.”

“But Akutagawa--” Atsushi tried to protest, only to be cut off.

"This man needs to be taught a lesson or two. We'll show him our souls are stable."

The witch boy hesitated a little before nodding. 

"Okay…"

Stein smiled at this. 

"Show me what you're made of."

Dazai and Chuuya stood beside Lord Death on one side, and Kouyou and her weapon, Konjiki, stood on the other side of the reaper. 

"You ladies didn't have to come watch this, you know," the bandaged Meister said with a grin. "I know how much you hate seeing the girls in danger."

"You and Chuuya aren't the only ones who are mentors, Dazai," Kouyou responded. "Besides, I know how Stein can be, so I want to make sure he doesn't take things too far."

"I do believe that we should be concerned on whether or not he'll have too much fun with this," Konjiki commented. "Him reading their souls was taking it a little bit too far."

"He always has a knack for getting people riled up with words alone," Chuuya agreed. 

"He doesn't know how to get you worked up like I do, darling~" Dazai purred as Chuuya flinched at his Meister stroking his back in a rather suggestive way.

_ CHOP _

Everyone glared down at Dazai as he laid on the ground in his own blood. 

"If you so much as even make a lewd comment, I'll use my Reaper Chop to crush your skull," Lord Death said. 

* * *

They thought it would be easy. No, they knew it wouldn't be that easy. But they didn't think that Stein would just toy with them by dodging all of their attacks while riding the rolling chair.

"You kids are sloppier than I expected," Stein commented as he dodged a swing of Atsushi's scythe. "I guess most of you have gotten lazy."

"Damnit, are you even trying, Jinko!" Akutagawa growled. 

"Of course I am!" Atsushi argued. "I didn't think he'd be this fast!"

Stein grinned before jumping up from his chair and standing. The witch boy saw this as an opportunity and went to strike, swinging his scythe. 

"Fell for it," the scientist said before reaching out and activating his wavelength to shock not only the witch boy, but also his weapon. 

Both Meister and Weapon yelled out in pain before they were pushed back and landed onto the ground. 

"Atsushi! Akutagawa!" Tanizaki yelled in shock as his image appeared in the mirror. 

The scientist picked Atsushi up and held him in a chokehold before taking out a marker and then reaching down to pull up the witch boy's shirt a little. 

"Hmmm… these burn marks are a bit problematic, but I think I can work around it," Stein said before drawing lines on the boy's skin. "Now, let's see which part to dissect first."

Atsushi became scared and started struggling. "Let me go!!!"

Kyouka and Gin glared at Stein angrily before zipping towards him, blades ready to slice him in half.

"Seems like you two took the bait."

He swiftly released Atsushi and turned to catch their wrists in mid strike before using his wavelength on them. Both of them screamed in pain as they shocked before they pushed back as well. Shirayuki and Tachihara were quick to turn back into their human forms so they could catch their partners before they could land on the ground.

"Shit! Gin!" Tachihara said as he let his partner lean against him.

Shirayuki held Kyouka protectively, prioritizing her Meister's safety over her own.

Akutagawa transformed into his human form and growled. "Rashomon!!!" The black tendrils emerged from his coat and made to strike the scientist, but the man simply jumped back.

"A little slow," Stein said. "Still, the magic coat seems to follow your command pretty well." He stopped for a moment when he felt something behind him and turned to see Kenji materialize behind him. 

"Sorry! But we have to get Fukuzawa-san back from you!" Kenji said with a smile. "This might hurt a little bit!"

Stein gasped out as the farm boy struck his back with his fist, using his wavelength in order to increase his strength. Atsushi grinned from his spot on the ground. 

"Great work, Kenji!" He said. 

"Hm," the scientist suddenly hummed. "So your wavelength allows you to increase your strength."

Everyone looked up at Stein in shock. How could he not be in pain from Kenji's punch!?

"No way," Tanizaki said in shock. "How is he not hurt!?"

"Simple," Stein said as he looked back. "I simply shaped my wavelength in order to match his own. That way his attack couldn't do anything." He turned around to face the farm boy fully. "Now why don't you take a nap?"

"Kenji, move--!!"

Tanizaki was cut off when Stein put his hands over Kenji and shocked the poor boy. 

"Kenji!" Tanizaki yelled in fear for his Meister. 

"Leave him alone!" Atsushi begged. 

It went on for a few seconds before Kenji was knocked out. The mirror weapon quickly caught his Meister before he could hit the ground. 

"Shit, he knocked out Kenji," Tachihara cursed.

Stein several more black tendrils before landing in front of the gate to his lab. Akutagawa watched him with a heated glare. 

"You're quick to lash out," the scientist said. "Chuuya is pretty much the same way. Always easy to anger." He grinned. "Still makes it all the more fun."

"Don't speak of my mentor as if you're good acquaintances with him," the scythe weapon demanded angrily before looking to his Meister. "Atsushi, let's--" he stopped when he saw the look on his face. "Atsushi…?"

Atsushi had on a look of horror as he used Soul Perception to see the scientist's soul, and what he saw was something he'd never thought he'd see. Stein's soul had a screw in the head, but the size was unbelievably huge. A soul that size only indicated how powerful Stein truly was. 

"No way…," he mumbled as fell on his knees. "Impossible… the gap between us is too big… we can't beat him…"

Akutagawa growled before he grabbed the witch boy's shoulders to start shaking him. "What nonsense are you talking about!?" He yelled. "Snap out of it! How else are going to save Fukuzawa if you get cold feet on me now!"

Atsushi pushed his weapon away. "Shut up!" He yelled. "You wouldn't be acting so tough if you can see the shape of his soul like I can!"

The scythe weapon looked at him in disbelief before glaring. "You're wrong! I wouldn't care at all! Did you forget the oath we made!? To make me the most powerful Death Scythe so we can surpass Dazai and Chuuya!!"

The Meister looked up at his weapon. That's right. They swore to surpass their mentors by making Akutagawa the most powerful Death Scythe, no matter what it took. 

Akutagawa smiled down at his Meister before looking at Stein. "Now take a look," he said. "Stein is waiting patiently on us. Isn't that so kind of the good doctor?"

"Yeah," Atsushi said, smiling. "It is nice."

"Come on," Akutagawa said. "If we die, we die fighting."

The witch boy nodded before getting up. "Sorry about that…"

Akutagawa transformed into his scythe form and Atsushi twirled it around before getting into a stance. Dazai and Chuuya smiled as they watched their pupils through the mirror. 

_ "Let's go! Soul Resonance!" _

_ 'Resonance of the soul,'  _ Stein thought as he watched with a grin.  _ 'Meister and weapon coming together as one. The Meister pushing their energy from their soul on to the Weapon, and the Weapon pushing back in return; making a soul that is far stronger than either is alone.' _

Atsushi and Akutagawa yelled as their souls came together.

"Come on!" Stein yelled. "Let's see how powerful you really are!"

"The legendary skill of the Scythe Meister!" Atsushi said as the scythe blade glowed red before taking the shape of a beast head.  _ "Witch Hunter!" _

_ 'Interesting,'  _ the scientist thought.  _ 'He was only shown a demonstration once, and yet he can already use the Witch Hunter on his first try.' _

Atsushi yelled as he swung his scythe, but Stein quickly caught the blade in his hands and blocked the attack, planting his feet on the ground to prevent himself from moving back. 

"You can control the  _ Witch Hunter  _ as well," the scientist commented as the witch boy tried to push him back. "However, I'm afraid your skills are too rough."

With that, he broke the power of the  _ Witch Hunter  _ with his wavelength, hurting Atsushi in the process as he screamed out and his weapon was thrown out of his hands. 

_ 'Ryuu…' _

The scythe clattered to the ground and Atsushi fell to his side, twitching a little as he the wavelength still coursing through him painfully. 

"I'll admit that was impressive," Stein said as he knelt down in front of the witch boy and reached out to touch him. But before he could, Akutagawa transformed back and he crouched over his Meister. 

"Stay back!" He growled. "I won't allow you to touch my Meister!"

Stein stared at the scythe before shrugging. "In that case, you're first," he said before reaching out. 

The scythe held his breath as he waited for an attack, but all he felt was a hand on his head. 

"Congratulations," the scientist said. "You passed the test."

Everyone stared in shock and confusion, wondering if they heard that right. 

"What?" Akutagawa asked as he looked up at the scientist. 

"All of this was a test set up by Lord Death," Stein said. 

"You mean… this was all planned?" Tanizaki asked. 

"Yep."

"But Fukuzawa-san…"

"Is perfectly fine. He acted like he was kidnapped in order for the test to initiate."

At this, a man with silver hair and a green yukata stepped out. This was a veteran Meister, Yukichi Fukuzawa. 

"I do apologize for all of the trouble," he said formally. "But this test was necessary to see how you've all progressed in your training. And you all have exceeded our expectations. Good work."

Everyone gaped in shock, and Atsushi cried a little. 

"You've gotta be kidding me…"

"I have to admit, scaring you kids was really entertaining," Stein said with a smirk. 

_ 'What a sadistic bastard!' _

"Since it's late, why don't you kids stay in my lab for the night?"

"THAT'S A BIG FAT NO!!!"

Chuuya sighed in relief. "Thank God…"

"You're such a worrywart, chibi," Dazai said in amusement. 

"What's wrong with being worried? They are practically my kids," the petite Death Scythe said accusingly. He blinked when he saw the look on his lover's face. "What?"

"You're just so cute!" The bandaged man gushed as he pulled Chuuya into a tight hug, hearts floating over his head. "Let's have a baby!"

"Get off, you shitty mackerel!" The ginger yelled as he struggled to get out of Dazai's hold.

"Only if you're the one to get me off~"

_ CHOP _

Everyone glared down as Dazai's head sprayed blood everywhere. 

"Moron…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, good old Stein antics never gets old right? Lol well, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! I know I enjoyed writing it!
> 
> Until next time!


	6. The Azure Messenger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A disciple of Kunikida's foe from long ago has arrived and is causing terror to Death City. His old partner returns, and both are tasked with stopping this disciple, with the aid of the New Double Black

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof this took me a while. I wasn't sure how to make this flow, I honestly hope it did, but I can only hope.
> 
> Anyway, big shout out to Yellow_Canna, hoping this gives a little confidence boost with the Soukoku Big Bang challenge that she's participating! If it's already passed.... Well you all still get a new chapter, so it's still a win!
> 
> Enjoy!

Kunikida walked down the halls of the DWMA, greeting passing students on the way to his class. Doppo Kunikida wasn't just a Meister, he was a Meister with ideals that he was in pursuit of. Many didn't understand his ideals, but despite their lack of understanding, he was steadfast in pursuing his ideals. As such, his ideals as a teacher in the academy are ones where he must set an example for his students and teach them to preserve peace in humanity by battling evil.

Once he made it to his classroom door, he checked his watch and found that he was at least ten seconds earlier than his scheduled time to begin his class. Another way of setting an example to his students to be dutiful Meisters and Weapons is to show that they must be on time for their studies. He wasn't one to tolerate tardiness, as it would only set them back on their schedules. 

He watched the clock tick on his watch a little longer before looking at the door.

"It's time," he said before opening the door. "Good morning, everyone--"

"PLEASE HELP US, KUNIKIDA-SAN!!!" Atsushi screamed in fear, the blue stress lines over his eyes indicating his obvious distress. 

Kunikida looked at the witch boy as the door slowly closed itself behind him. "What is it this time?" He asked.

"It's Dazai-san! Look at him!"

Both looked to see Dazai standing on the desk, yelling with a crazed look and purple stress lines over his eyes.

"Kunikida-kun!!" Dazai yelled with a crazed smile. "This is an emergency!! Take a look at this!!" The bandaged man pointed up at the air as Atsushi pushed Kunikida towards him. 

The blonde noted how many of the students were hiding behind the safety of their desks in fear before calmly looking up at his coworker. "What am I looking at?" He asked calmly. 

"It's right here, silly!!" Dazai yelled crazily as he continued to point up at the air.

"The only thing I see is your stupid face," Kunikida said bluntly. 

"It's here!!! I've finally arrived!!" The bandaged Meister laughed crazily. "I can see the pearly gates and everything!!!"

The blonde sighed as the brunette continued spouting nonsense. "Can someone please explain what's going on?" He asked no one in particular. 

"Kunikida-san…"

He turned to look at the distressed Atsushi. 

"Dr. Stein gave him these…"

In the boy's hands was a book titled Complete Guide to Suicide and a bitten green mushroom with white dots.

_5 minutes earlier…_

_Dazai was sitting at Kunikida's desk, reading the Complete Guide to Suicide book with a smile._

_"Hey, Dazai."_

_The bandaged man turned to see Stein rolling into the classroom in his chair. "Ah, if it isn't Dr. Screw," he said with a light smirk. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"_

_"You still read the Complete Guide to Suicide, right?" The scientist asked casually. _

_"Yeah, why?"_

_"I got you this." _

_Stein dug into his lab coat pocket and pulled a few green mushrooms with white dots._

_Dazai blinked. "Mushrooms?"_

_"Didn't you read that part already?" Stein asked in surprise. "There's a method of suicide where all you have to do is eat some poison mushrooms. It's guaranteed to be quick and painless, too."_

_The brunette blinked in shock. "Really!? Where does it say that!?"_

_"Page 142."_

_Dazai frantically turned the pages of the book and he gaped in shock. "Oh, there is such a method!" He said in awe before looking at the mushrooms. "And those are the mushrooms!?"_

_"Yep," the scientist said. "I was walking around the city and I found these growing nearby. Now you can finally have the double suicide you've always wanted."_

_Dazai's brown eyes sparkled. "Stein! You are such a wonderful human being!"_

_"Happy to help," Stein said with a casual smile._

_The students who came earlier than expected sweat dropped. _

_ **'** _ _ **Why does that smile look so ominous?'** _

_"I have to give some to Chuuya!" Dazai said happily as he took the mushrooms and made for the door. "We'll finally have a romantic double--"_

_"Hold on a second, Dazai."_

_The bandaged Meister stopped and looked at his colleague. "What is it?"_

_"Don't you think you should test them first?" Stein asked. "I know it said they're lethal, but you can't always trust the words of a book. Remember how you got stuck in that oil barrel last time?"_

_The brunette blinked thoughtfully. "Ah, that's a valid point…" He grinned. "Very well! For the sake of my double suicide, I shall test these!"_

_The students got scared at Stein's smirk._

_Now_

"I knew the Complete Guide to Suicide was a masterpiece!!" Dazai laughed. "Who knew that all I needed to do was eat those mushrooms Stein found growing nearby to have such an entertaining exit!!!!"

"I see," Kunikida sighed as his colleague laughed like a maniac. "So the mushrooms Stein gave to him were poisoned."

"Well, yeah," Atsushi said in dismay as he looked into the book. "He thought they were, but in actually, they're--"

He was cut off when his mentor tackled him and started strangling him.

"I finally caught you, rainbow pillbug!!" Dazai yelled as he got Atsushi in a vice like grip.

Kunikida sighed again and sent a quick text to Chuuya. 

_Please come deal with your lover. He ate the mushrooms Stein gave to him. _

After the message was sent, he had a quick reply.

_Nope (•_•)_

That caused the blonde to sigh again and he sat down at his desk and pulled up his laptop as Atsushi struggled to get out of Dazai's hold. "I'm doing the morning documents for the class," he said. "Wait until I'm done."

Atsushi had tears of distress at that.

Kunikida types away on his computer, sorting out all of the documents for his class, from reassignment due on certain dates, to the list of missions that were deemed a success. He was so focused on his work that he barely noticed Dazai standing on the desk in front of him.

"Kunikida-kun~" Dazai sang as he reached out and grabbed his colleague's cheeks by pinching and pulling on them. "You should come to the afterlife, too~ It's amazing here!" 

Atsushi was tied up in bandages and he struggled to get out. 

"So many rainbow pillbugs~"

Kunikida continued typing information on his computer as his colleague continued pulling his face.

"All the drinks you can handle~"

He calmly finished the last of the documents before closing his laptop.

“Mountains and mountains of food to eat~”

“Doppo…” Kunikida mumbled as Dazai continued speaking nonsense and pulling on his face. “CHOP!”

Dazai choked as a hand chopped down onto his neck and he fell to the ground unconscious.

“Stop this nonsense!!” Kunikida yelled at Dazai after getting up from his chair.

Atsushi looked at them in wonder. _‘They’re so different, and yet they work together pretty well sometimes,’_ he thought to himself.

Everyone looked to see one of the secretaries of the school open the classroom door.

“Kunikida-san,” she said. “Lord Death wishes to see you.”

The blonde man nodded in understanding before turning to his class. “Alright, let me pull up today's assignment,” he told the students as he set up the projector to show the assignment. “I suspect that I will be gone for a while, so I expect you all to finish this in record time.”

The students nodded as Kunikida made for the door until one student raised their hand.

“Kunikida-sensei!” they asked.

“Yes?” he replied, turning to them.

“What do we do about Dazai-san?”

“Just throw him out of the classroom and barricade the doors.”

With that, Kunikida turned and left his class to do their assignment. By the time he made it to the Death Room, he noticed Chuuya and Fukuzawa standing beside Lord Death and was surprised.

“Hello, Fukuzawa-san. And Chuuya?” he asked. “Didn’t you have training with Akutagawa?”

“We finished early,” Chuuya said seriously. “We just found something rather disturbing.”

“Do you remember the Azure King, Kunikida?” Lord Death asked.

The blonde frowned. How could he forget? The Azure King was a terrorist who killed criminals by his own hands before he fell into madness and killed innocent souls as well, turning his soul into a Kishin egg. Back then, he wasn’t able to save the Azure King’s last victims, but with his efforts, Kunikida was able to slay him.

“I do,” he said. “He was one of the few Kishin that I was able to defeat.”

“Well, we’ve received news that he apparently had a disciple,” Fukuzawa informed calmly. “They call themselves the Azure Messenger.”

“A disciple?” Kunikida asked in confusion. “I’ve never heard that he had a disciple.”

“Nobody had until recently when one of our Death Scythe’s received a message,” the reaper said. “A note was sent to your old partner, Katai, and he immediately sent it straight back to us.”

Chuuya handed Kunikida the mentioned letter, and the Meister was quick to open it. It wasn’t really a letter. More like a list of names. But his eyes widened when he realized…

“These are names of missing people,” he said.

“Exactly,” Fukuzawa said. “There was a report a while back consisting of missing people, all of which are innocent souls.”

“And considering the nature of this, and who they worked under, this Azure Messenger could be using these people as bait to get revenge,” the petite Death Scythe said.

The blonde frowned. “I see…”

“Even though this might be a trap, those people need to be saved,” Lord Death said. “The Azure Messenger has left clues on the letter as to where each and every one of those souls might be.”

Kunikida looked back at the locations beside the names and frowned. “They seem to be all over the place in the city,” he said. “And considering the long list, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get to them all in time.”

“Get some students to assist you then.”

Everyone turned to see Stein come, surprisingly without his rolling chair.

“I don’t appreciate you giving mushrooms to Dazai,” Kunikida said with a stern look. “He terrified my students thanks to those things.”

“I’m not surprised that he even used the mackerel’s love for suicide to trick him,” Chuuya mumbled nonchalantly.

“Hey, give him something for suicide and he’s pretty easy to mess with,” the scientist said with a smile. “It was pretty entertaining.”

The blonde sighed. “Whatever. What about taking some students with me?”

“They can provide you with backup,” Stein said simply. “Think of it as a learning experience for them. Hell, might even give them a grade if you wanna give them more motivation.”

Kunikida hummed thoughtfully. “I suppose this could be a good learning experience for them.”

“I recommend you bring Atsushi and Akutagawa with you,” the scientist suggested. “Their wavelengths have become very stable since I fought them last. And it gives them a good chance to nab themselves another Kishin egg.”

The blonde hummed before looking at the petite Death Scythe. “You wouldn’t mind if I borrowed them, would you?” he asked.

“Nah, go on ahead,” Chuuya said with a wave of his hand. “Gives them an opportunity to get stronger.”

“Very well,” Kunikida said, pushing his glasses up. “We’ll leave immediately. Stein, please take over my class until I get back.”

“Don’t sweat it,” Stein said with a grin. “I’m more than happy to teach these kids a few things.”

Kunikida swiftly bowed to Lord Death before leaving the Death Room to fetch the chosen students.

“Since you’re here, Stein,” Lord Death said seriously. “I’m sure you’ve heard that the Port Mafia attacked two of our students.”

Stein frowned. “It was a coincidence, but still pretty bold that they would send someone out in the open like that. Much less come back to Death City for that matter.”

“Especially since the Port Mafia is run by Ougai Mori,” Fukuzawa agreed calmly. “We’re lucky that Junichirou and Kenji were able to make it out alive.”

“Furthermore, based on the injuries that Yosano was kind enough to describe to me, I have to say that Mori has taught the girl very well,” the scientist added. “Which means he’s probably got her under his thumb.”

“We haven’t decided on what to do since we found out,” Chuuya said. “But now that the two of you are here, what should we do now, Lord Death?”

“Well, given the nature of the situation, they haven’t done anything to provoke the DWMA,” Lord Death said seriously. “However, if anyone in the academy does encounter a member of the Port Mafia, I suggest you all warn them to not engage in combat under any circumstances. If they see Mori’s new protege…. They must run.”

Both Meisters and Death Scythe frowned and nodded.

“One other thing. It looks like the Port Mafia has decided to give her a special nickname,” the scientist added.

“What’s that?” Chuuya asked.

_“The Demon Sword.”_

* * *

_Port Mafia HQ_

Mori walked down the halls of the lab with Elise and Hirotsu by his side. Many in the lab stepped aside and bowed to the Port Mafia boss, as is common among lower ranks to show respect.

The snake warlock smiled when he saw the Port Mafia’s most famous bomber standing in front of a window and approached. “How goes the experiment, Kajii?” he asked as he stood beside him. Behind the other side of the glass was Kirin, who simply stood there with a blank expression.

“Armageddon has shown wonderful responses!” Kajii said enthusiastically. “When I throw one of my bombs, he immediately shields his host! Hardening Kirin’s black blood to make an impenetrable shield!” He turned his hand into a grenade launcher and stuck it through the hole in the glass. “Observe~”

He shot a lemon grenade at Kirin and it exploded when it reached her. Everyone waited for the smoke to fade, and what they saw when it did was a thick black shell guarding Kirin, who was completely unharmed.

“See!” Kajii yelled excitedly. “A perfect specimen of science!”

Mori grinned at this. “How excellent indeed,” he said. “However, I am sorry to say that these experiments must stop for now. I have a job for Kirin.”

“Oh, of course, sir,” the weapon said before pressing a button and opening the door to the side.

Kirin seemed to get the message and walked out of the room to approach the boss. “Am I getting another assignment, Boss?” she asked.

“Of course, my dear,” the snake warlock said with a smile. “One of our subordinates was captured by this so-called Azure Messenger. Obviously they are trying to avenge the late Azure King by taking us out bit by bit, and that is bad for business. You know what you must do, don’t you~?”

The emerald eyed girl nodded with a distant yet deadly look, causing Mori’s grin to become dark.

_“Slay them, Kirin.”_

* * *

_Death City_

“Um, Kunikida-san, where exactly are we going?” Atsushi asked as he and his weapon partner followed the blonde.

“We’re going to my old partner’s residence,” Kunikida informed. “There’s something important that we need to discuss.”

Akutagawa grimaced a little at that.

“Akutagawa, what’s wrong?” the witch boy asked.

“Katai is a Death Scythe, like Chuuya-san and Konjaki-san, but…” the demon scythe hesitated. “He is pretty weak.”

“It isn’t that he’s weak,” Kunikida stated. “It’s just that he’s a hikikomori.”

“Hikikomori?” Atsushi asked.

“A hermit,” Akutagawa said.

“Oh,” the witch said, finally getting it. “...... Kinda like Dazai?”

Dazai felt an arrow pierce his back and he leaned over a desk. “Why did a jab come at me from far away….?” he groaned in pain.

“I think a truth was stated,” Ranpo said in amusement.

“Not exactly,” the blonde said, though he was hiding a grin of amusement. “But close.”

Atsushi looked at his partner when he coughed out a laugh. “You okay?” he asked in concern.

Akutagawa kept his hand against his mouth to cover up his smile. “I’m fine,” he said. “Just a cough.”

The younger Meister got it and nodded before looking forward. It didn’t take long for them to arrive at Katai’s home, and Kunikida knocked first for the sake of being polite. They waited for a long time before the door opened from the other side. What the witch boy saw was a man with glasses, black hair, a stubble and…. A futon?

“Kunikida!” the man said in surprise. “I didn’t think you’d come so soon!”

“Considering the nature of the situation, I had to come,” Kunikida said seriously. “I’m sure you remember Akutagawa. This is his Meister, Atsushi.” He looked at the witch boy. “Kid, this is my old weapon partner, Katai Tayama..”

Atsushi blinked and bowed a little. “Um, a pleasure to meet you, Katai-san,” he said.

“Ah, you must be Dazai and Yosano’s new student,” Katai said. “Pleasure to meet you as well. Please, everyone come inside.”

The witch boy followed his partner and the elder Meister inside the house, and he looked at his weapon as he questioned why Katai-san was wearing a futon over himself. Akutagawa simply waved it off, silently saying that it wasn’t important. He looked around and the room was… dark, save for the lighting from the many computer screens on the other side of the room.

“Judging by the red dots on the computer screens,” Kunikida said, “I must assume that you’ve already located the missing people.”

“The moment I saw the name Azure Messenger, I knew I had to get to work immediately,” the Death Scythe said as he went back to the computers. “Now, the names of the people listed down are scattered as you probably already know by the addresses. The majority of them are all in the same place, an abandoned hospital. The rest are at the exact locations as the addresses next to their names, and others aren’t.”

Atsushi got confused by how serious they were getting into this. Missing people? Azure Messenger? He looked to Akutagawa, who simply shrugged. Seems he didn’t know the situation either.

“Alright, we have the addresses,” the blonde Meister said firmly. “Best we start at the hospital first.”

“Be careful, Kunikida,” Katai warned seriously. “Something tells me that this Azure Messenger is more dangerous than the Azure King.”

Kunikida simply nodded and turned to walk out the door, Atsushi and Akutagawa following suit.

“Hey, Ryuu--”

Akutagawa gave a deadly glare at Katai. “Don’t call me that. And stay away from my sister!”

The futon wearing Death Scythe flinched at this. “G-got it!!”

The witch boy blinked at his weapon before the latter pulled the former out of the house.

Gin blinked as she could feel someone talking about her.

“Something wrong, Gin?” Kenji asked as he helped put books away in the library.

The dark-haired girl blinked a little more before shrugging. “No. It’s nothing.”

* * *

_Night Time_

Atsushi and Akutagawa sat in the back of the taxi while Kunikida sat in the front. The witch boy watched the lights pass them by before looking at the instructor.

“Um, Kunikida-san, what exactly are we doing?” he asked. “You mentioned missing people and the Azure Messenger…”

“Ah, I suppose I was in too much of a rush to explain anything,” the blonde said thoughtfully. “But since this will be a long drive, I might as well tell the tale.” Both Meister and Weapon students listened carefully. “During my days as a student in the DWMA, there was a Kishin called the Azure King. A terrorist who killed criminals under his own judgement. He was famous for about six months. Unfortunately, he eventually succumbed to the madness, and he soon started killing innocent people as well. He made it onto Lord Death’s list, and Katai and I took on the mission. We weren't able to save his last victims in time, but we were able to bring him to justice and add his Kishin egg to our collection of souls.”

The tiger boy looked to Akutagawa, and the demon scythe shrugged. “I had only arrived a year after it happened,” he said. “And I only heard the tale from Chuuya-san.”

“Okay…. And this Asure Messenger,” Atsushi mumbled.

“Is a direct disciple of the Azure King,” Kunikida explained. “We didn’t discover their existence until Katai had received a letter containing information on where the listed missing people are.”

The silver haired boy grew worried. “What is it that they want!?”

“Revenge,” the blonde stated. “There isn’t anything more than that.”

Atsushi’s hands began to sweat and Akutagawa reached out and squeezed one of them in comfort.

“Relax, Atsushi,” he assured. “We’ll find the Azure Messenger and take their Kishin egg. We’ll end this madness soon enough.”

This caused the younger Meister to relax a little. “Yeah…”

“Alright, we’re here,” the taxi driver said as they came to a stop at an abandoned hospital.

“Alright, you two,” Kunikida said. “Here is where the first few victims are. Remember to be on guard at all times. Understand?”

Both got serious and nodded before they all stepped out of the taxi to stare up at the hospital. Atsushi couldn’t help but shiver a little bit in fear. “This looks really creepy…”

“Relax,” Akutagawa said, side eyeing his partner. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of a ghost.”

“Of course not!” the witch boy argued with a glare. “I’m just worried we’ll lose you in the shadows when we go inside thanks to your Dracula look.”

The demon scythe got a tick mark at that as he glared.

“That’s enough, you two,” Kunikida sighed as he pushed up his glasses. “Lord, it’s like dealing with Dazai and Chuuya all over again.”

As both students bickered while they looked around the hospital, they failed to notice that the older Meister was falling behind as the hospital gave him the chills. He was lucky that none of the other staff members were here to see this, otherwise he wouldn’t hear the end of it. Everyone stopped when they heard a scream and rushed forward.

When they entered a room, they found a young woman inside of a tank of water, and the tank was locked.

“We’re going to have to smash the tank,” Kunikida said. “I’ll leave that to you two.”

“Got it,” Atsushi said seriously. “Ready to transform, Akutagawa?”

“No need,” Akutagawa responded. “Rashomon!”

At this call, the black tendrils emerged from the demon scythe’s coat and smashed the glass on the side, freeing the woman in the process. Akutagawa was quick to notice that the woman was half naked, and removed his coat to drape it around her so that she had form of decency.

“Are you alright?” Kunikida asked as he knelt down beside the woman.

“Yes, thank you,” she said breathlessly.

“Do you know who threw you in this tank?” the older Meister asked seriously.

“It all happened really fast, so I didn’t catch a glimpse of their face,” the woman answered. “But I heard screaming on the other side, so I have to assume that there are other people here.”

Kunikida nodded before getting up. “Akutagawa, can Rashomon protect this woman without you wearing it?”

“Of course it can,” the demon scythe confirmed.

“Good,” the blonde said with a nod. “Let’s hurry and find those people.”

The group immediately rushed to the other side of the hospital, but when they got there, what they saw made them stop in their tracks. They didn’t find any humans in the room.

_But human souls…_

* * *

_Next Day_

Chuuya frowned at the many human souls that were presented to him and Lord Death in the Death room. “God, whoever this Azure Messenger is, he sure is a sick bastard,” he said in disgust.

“Indeed,” Lord Death said in equal disgust. “It’s almost as if they wanted them to witness it.”

“Forgive me, Lord Death…”

Both reaper and Death Scythe looked to Kunikida in confusion. The blonde had his head down in guilt. “I was too late to save the missing people in that hospital,” he said. “Forgive me for failing…”

The ginger’s eyes softened at this. “Kunikida, that wasn’t your fault,” he said. “The Azure Messenger is trying to mess with your head.”

The blonde was going to protest, but Lord Death cut him off.

“We’ll make sure these souls will have a proper resting place,” the reaper said. “In the meantime, focus on finding the other innocent people who are still alive. You still have enough time to help them, and I’m sure Atsushi and Akutagawa are ready for you to give instructions.”

Kunikida stared at the headmaster before nodding with a firm look. “Right. We’ll get to it immediately.”

“Before you go, Kunikida,” Lord Death said, making the Meister stop. “The Azure Messenger is not alone. It seems two other Kishin eggs have been detected and Ranpo has concluded they are helping the Azure Messenger out of their own agendas.”

“How did you find out?” the blonde asked.

“Through this,” Chuuya said, handing him a note.

What was in it was rather unsettling.

> _Dear Death Weapon Meister Academy,_
> 
> _You have already seen what I am capable of. I am more than willing to sacrifice a thousand more human souls if it means that I can avenge the Azure King. I have recruited two others in order to keep the people guarded. But there is one other thing. There is a bomb planted in the outskirts of the city. I intend to bring down the academy by making the people lose hope and turn against you._
> 
> _Catch me while you still can._
> 
> _Sincerely,_   
_The Azure Messenger_

“I see,” Kunikida said with a frown. “At this rate, the remaining innocent people and the entire city as a whole are in even greater danger.”

“That’s why I called up a certain hikikomori,” Chuuya said with a grin.

At this cue, Katai stepped into the Death room, futon wrapped over his shoulders. “Hello, Lord Death,” the other Death Scythe greeted.

“Katai?” Kunikida was surprised by this sudden appearance. “Why…?”

“You and I both had a hand in the Azure King’s death,” Katai said, being serious for once. “I may not be the strongest Death Scythe, but I won’t sit back and let you do this on your own.”

The blonde stared at him in disbelief before sighing with a wry smile. “I can tell that this will only be a one time thing after this,” he said.

“Yeah, sorry about that….” the futon man said sheepishly.

“Well, let’s not sit around. Let’s get to work.”

Atsushi and Akutagawa waited outside, and both blinked in surprise when they saw Katai with Kunikida.

“Katai-san, I didn’t think you would be coming,” the witch boy said in surprise.

“I didn’t think so either but…” Katai looked a little sheepish. “I was Kunikida’s weapon back in our days as students of the academy… It’s my responsibility as well, right?”

Atsushi almost looked at Katai with slight admiration before Akutagawa spoke up.

“Chuuya-san threatened to burn your futon if you didn’t come, didn’t he?” the demon scythe asked bluntly.

The nervous Death Scythe flinched at that and started sweating.

“Ah, I should’ve known,” Kunikida sighed. “It isn’t like Chuuya to not threaten you with your futon in order to get you to do something.”

“Don’t judge me, alright!!” Katai cried out at that.

Atsushi looked incredulously at his demon weapon, who gave a nod, confirming that what Kunikida said was true. Back in their days as students, Chuuya would give Katai the motivation to do things by threatening to burn his futon. Scared the poor weapon to death, too.

“Well, let’s get on with the plan of action,” Kunikida said. “I’ve sent you both a map on your phones. You’ll be taking the west side of Death City while Katai and I take care of the east side. Be on your guard at all times.”

Atsushi and Akutagawa both nodded, and the latter transformed into his scythe form and landed in his Meister’s hands. “Got it.”

“One more thing,” the blonde added. “The Azure Messenger has planted a bomb somewhere in the city. If we don’t stop it before we’ve gathered all of the missing people, then the whole city will be blown up. Since Rashomon is capable of devouring anything, I’ll be leaving it to you two.”

The witch boy nodded. “I understand.”

“Alright. Let’s get started.”

* * *

Kunikida and Katai rushed through many supposedly empty safe houses and apartments, and managed to set three dozen people free ahead of time. Each time, Katai would make sure that the people were there exactly as he traced, and surprisingly, there was nobody to guard them. Still, they were able to save the people rather quickly.

“Are we almost done?” Kunikida asked.

“Just a few more,” Katai replied, looking over his phone. “Four people in one warehouse. And by my calculations, that’s where the controls to the bomb are.”

“That’s good,” the blonde said. “Let’s hurry and go. The faster we can get to the bomb, the better.”

The futon wearing man nodded in agreement before following his old Meister. Nothing could’ve predicted a blade would slice through the Death Scythe. Kunikida’s eyes widened and looked to the attacker behind them to see a young man in a green hoodie.

“Got you,” he said with a malicious grin. He frowned when he didn’t see Katai turn into a soul, but the futon wearing man had grit his teeth and his body turned green before turning into a gun and falling into Kunikida’s hand.

“Nice try,” the older blonde said with a glare and pointing his gun at him. “But you’re dealing with a Meister and his Death Scythe.”

From the rooftop, Kirin stared down at them with indifference._ ‘Do I interfere and kill them both…?’_ she thought to herself before turning around and running off in the opposite direction.

_‘No, they don’t concern me. My orders are to slay the Azure Messenger.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was having a tiny bit of trouble of how to make the Azure King play into this story, so I figured that I would make him a Kishin egg, considering that in canon, he may have killed criminals but he also killed civilians because they ended up dying in the crossfire.
> 
> Also, Akutagawa going into protective big bro mode moment right there.


	7. The Demon Sword

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Atsushi and Akutagawa thought they were going to take the Kishin egg of the Azure Messenger. Instead, what they got was a fight with the Demon Sword...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone!
> 
> Man, I did not think that I would get this done that quick. I guess quarantine will do that for you huh?
> 
> Anyway, the start isn't as exciting as the rest of the chapter, so please forgive if it did not excite you.
> 
> Enjoy!

_Go on._

_Eat._

_Eat as many as you can._

_Do what you must to become the ultimate weapon._

_You are the jewel of the Port Mafia._

_You are the **Demon Sword.**_

* * *

Kunikida had his weapon pointed at the offender, who gave a grin.

“Ah, never thought I’d get the chance to fight a Death Scythe,” he said with a grin, pulling his hood down. “The DWMA doesn’t disappoint.”

The elder blonde used Soul Perception to take a look at the young man’s soul, and sure enough, it was a Kishin egg and a demon weapon at that.

“Is that one of the Kishin the Azure Messenger roped in?” Katai asked.

“Yes, and it seems he’s here to keep us occupied,” the Meister said. “Katai, you’re going to have to change into multiple forms in order to help me fight him off. Did you already send Atsushi and Akutawa to the location of the bomb?”

“Yeah, they should be getting the message now,” the Death Scythe replied seriously. “I have to tell you, it’s been a long time since we last fought as partners. I’m a little rusty.”

“So long as you know what to do, I don’t think that really matters,” Kunikida said. “If it’s a fight you want,” he addressed the young man, “then it’s a fight you’ll get.”

The boy grinned. “Now we’re talking!” he said in glee before turning his hand into a boomerang and throwing it at the Meister.

‘A boomerang weapon, huh?’ Kunikida thought to himself before firing a soul wavelength bullet to push back the boomerang, only the blink when he heard the sound of screeching metal when the wavelength bullet hit it. ‘It’s made of steel!’ The elder blonde dodged the steel boomerang, but it then started to follow him.

The young Kishin smirked. “Nobody can escape my boomerang,” he said in a tone laced with arrogance. “My boomerang will follow you wherever you go until it's sliced you to bits. None can escape it. None… none… no one.”

Kunikida grit his teeth as he continued to dodge the boomerang, the blade brushing his cheek and causing a scratch to form.

“Katai, flash grenade!”

“Got it!” the Death Scythe said before shifting into a flash grenade and the blonde throwing it up in the air before it activated, flashing a bright light to blind the Kishin, who covered his eyes.

When the flash was gone, the Kishin uncovered his eyes and saw that the Meister and Death Scythe were gone and called his boomerang back.

“Where the hell did they go?” the Kishin mumbled to himself before he was suddenly grabbed behind and a switchblade was pressed against his throat.

“Where is the Azure Messenger, the one who hired you to plant the bomb?” Kunikida demanded.

The Kishin sneered. “I don’t know,” he said. “And even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you.”

“Kunikida,” Katai said as his image appeared within the blade. “Atsushi and Akutagawa are heading for the bomb.”

“Good,” the blonde said before knocking the Kishin out. “We’ll head back to the academy and ask Ranpo to look for the Azure Messenger.”

“Got it.”

* * *

By sunset, Atsushi ran forward to a warehouse with his scythe in his hands. “Is this the place?’ he asked.

“It should be,” Akutagawa said as his image appeared in the blade. “Katai is a good tracker. There is no doubt that the bomb is here.”

“Let’s hurry and get Rashomon to eat it before it explodes and takes half of the city,” the witch boy said before running inside of the warehouse. He skidded to a halt when he spotted the bomb. “There it is.” But before he could use Rashomon, a large hand with axes for hands fell down and the witch boy blocked the blades that tried to dice him.

“Seems we have a guard dog on our hands,” the demon scythe said. “Let’s finish him quickly.”

Atsushi glared as he twirled his scythe around and clashed blades with the man. He used Soul Perception, and sure enough, the man was a Kishin. “A Kishin egg,” he said. “This’ll be a bonus.”

The witch boy twirled his scythe multiple times, blocking the Kishin’s blade hands that tried to strike with every swing. His eyes widened when he saw that the countdown of the bomb was getting close to zero, and leaped over the Kishin. “Rashomon!” he yelled before the familiar black tendril emerged from the blade of the scythe and swallowed the bomb whole.

The guard gaped in shock before he was sliced in half and turned into a Kishin egg. Akutagawa transformed back and took the egg, feeling rather famished as he devoured it. He sighed in satisfaction after swallowing it.

“Another delicious meal,” Akutagawa said.

“Hey, Ryuu,” Atsushi said, “I’ve been meaning to ask… How exactly does a Kishin egg taste like?”

“Each one has a different flavor from the last,” the demon scythe explained. “Some can be spicy, some are sweet, and some are a little salty. But it isn’t the flavor that makes it taste good. It’s the feeling of power that flows within you.”

The witch boy thought about it as he followed his partner out of the warehouse.

_‘The feeling of _ _power, huh…?’_

* * *

_Next Day_

“I found the location of the Azure Messenger,” Ranpo said with a frown, green eyes visible as he looked to the pupils of Double Black. “They’re at the abandoned hospital where you found that woman, Nobuko Sasaki.”

“Right, we’ll head there soon,” Atsushi said as Akutagawa leaned against the wall. “So did you figure out who it is?”

The detective gave a sigh. “Nobuko Sasaki.”

The witch boy and Kunikida gaped in shock at this. “But how!? She was a victim!”

“She was a disciple of the Azure King when she was young,” Ranpo explained. “But after Kunikida and Katai killed him, she herself ended up becoming hollow and descended into madness. She set up the killings and didn’t even bother to stop her mentor from becoming a Kishin himself. Now she’s waiting for you both to face her.”

Atsushi was conflicted because he wasn’t sure if he wanted to believe that this was true. Kunikida also looked conflicted, but he could only look away with his eyes closed.

“It doesn’t matter what her circumstances were,” Akutagawa piped up. “She’s a Kishin egg now, an evil soul. She must be eliminated.”

The silverette looked to his partner before nodding solemnly. “Okay.”

Kunikida watched the two go before looking at his colleague. "Ranpo, is something going to happen?"

Ranpo looked down. "I can't say. But something is going to put them both in danger."

* * *

It was during the evening when the duo arrived, and they walked within the hospital before deciding to wait in one room with an open space.

"Do you sense anything, Jinko?" Akutagawa asked, hands in his pockets. 

Atsushi used Soul Perception to search for anyone who might be coming in, searching for the Kishin egg of the Azure Messenger. He blinked when he spotted the Kishin egg behind the doors. "Ah, there she is," he said and both watched as the doors opened to reveal Nobuko Sasaki. 

"So it's true," the weapon said with narrowed eyes. "You are the Azure Messenger."

"Why did you hurt those innocent people?" Atsushi demanded. "They did nothing to deserve any of that."

"All the Azure King wanted was to build a peaceful world for his ideals," Nobuko said as she pointed a gun at them. "He was pure in his intentions--"

"Save it," Akutagawa scoffed. "There was nothing pure in his intentions if he fell that easily into madness and took innocent souls. You are just a fool out for petty revenge."

“But he--”

“Idiots like the Azure King think they are all about justice, but in the end, they are no better than the criminals that he tried to bring to justice. He turned into a Kishin egg and started devouring human souls. For that, he had to die. Since you were his follower, you must do the same.”

Nobuko was silent for a moment. “I… suppose you’re right…. To be honest, I had hoped that Kunikida would come to finish me off. I’ve grown tired of following the ideals of another. I just want to rest…. And he resembles him in a way…. Because of his ideals….”

The witch boy hesitated a little before reaching his hand out and grabbing his partner’s hand. “Nobuko Sasaki, Azure Messenger…. Your soul is mine.”

The woman had on a smile before she gasped out when a dark blade pierced through her, causing the pair to gape in shock.

_“Any slight against the Port Mafia…. Is returned tenfold…”_

Nobuko started to cry before she turned into a Kishin egg. Boh Meister and Weapon flinched as they heard footsteps in the distance before they spotted a girl with dark green hair and a long black coat.

“Ryuu… is that…?”

“The girl who attacked Tanizaki and Miyazawa,” Akutagawa answered with a wary look.

Kirin simply stared at the two with indifference before they witnessed a large lump emerging from her back. They shivered when they heard an ungodly, demonic groan coming from the lump as Armageddon shifted into his full skeletal form, his head twisting sideways as he stared at the two for one moment before shifting his gaze to the Kishin egg of Nobuko Sasaki. He reached out with his boney hand and grabbed the egg, inspected it a little before swallowing it whole.

“Jinko…. What is that…?” Akutagawa hissed, being uncharacteristically afraid.

Atsushi gulped and used Soul Perception to look at the girl’s soul, and… “She… she has a weapon inside of her!?” he whispered in shock.

“What!?” the demon scythe said in shock. “How can that be!?”

Kirin stared at the two before shifting her stance to walk away.

_“Wait, Kirin.”_

She stopped at the sound of her boss’s voice.

_“Let’s see how strong you are against the New Double Black.”_

“You told me to slay the Azure Messenger.”

_“I know, but I’m curious to see how strong these two are. You’ve done well on your mission, so consider this your reward.”_

Kirin thought for a moment before nodding. “As you wish, Boss,” she said before turning back to the other two. “Armageddon…” Armageddon groaned before shifting into liquid and then transforming into his sword form.

“A green and black sword,” Akutagawa said with a glare. “It looks like we won’t be able to escape this…”

Atsushi gulped and sweated a little.

Outside of the hospital, Mori stood upon the broom with his hands behind his back and a smile on his face.

“Let’s see how well you’ve taught your student, Dazai.”

* * *

_DWMA Nurse’s Office_

“I can’t believe you fell for Stein’s tricks again,” Yosano said exasperatedly as she stared down at Dazai, who was slumped over on the bed. “I thought you learned your lesson the last few times that he tricked you with your suicide attempts.”

“I did!” Dazai whined.

“Well, obviously you didn’t,” the witch said, rolling her eyes. “Why are you still even here? The effects of the mushrooms wore off days ago.”

“I know, and I refuse to see that trickster! Do you know how much suffering he put my dignity through!?” The brunette huffed before donning a blush as his fantasies came in full effect as he imagined Chuuya in a nurse's outfit and nursing Dazai to health. “Besides, I need to have my lovely nurse chibi heal my wounded heart and give me the courage to face any and all types of danger~”

Yosano sweatdropped at that. “Oh, brother…”

Dazai had sparkles in his eyes when he heard the door open and latched onto the person at the door. “There you are my chibi angel~!” he said as hearts flew above him. “Come heal me with your sweet medical love and kiss my pain away~” When he looked forward, he was confused when he saw a torso and not the face of his darling chibi. When he looked up, he gaped in horror at the sight of Stein.

Stein simply had a look of nonchalance. “Hey there, Dazai. I’ve been looking for you.”

Yosano busted out laughing as Dazai zipped back and clung to the bedsheets.

“YOU!!! YOU’RE NOT MY CHIBI!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY CHIBI!!!”

The scientist simply looked on in amusement as the brunette glared at the witch. “You stop laughing!!” He glared back at Stein. “Don’t think I’ve forgiven you for those mushrooms! You got my hopes up for nothing!” He huffed, puffing his chest out. “But don’t think I’ll allow this again. I’ve learned my lesson from falling for your tricks, so you cannot deceive me any more. So there!”

Stein pushed his glasses up. “Then I take it you finally noticed that I’ve switched the middle toe on your right foot with the one on your left foot?”

Dazai took a few seconds to process this before panicking. “WHAT’RE YOU NUTS!!?” he yelled as he threw off his shoes and inspected his toes. “Why would you do something like that to me!? Now chibi will leave me because my feet are hideous with this rearrangement--!!”

“Made ya look~” Stein sang, causing Dazai to gape and Yosano to laugh again. “You know, that student of yours, Atsushi? He’s grown up quickly.”

“Yes, I know,” Dazai grumbled as he glared. “Now if you only came to mess with me, I would like for you to leave me be now.”

“So you don’t want this back?” the scientist asked, pulling out a small black box.

The brunette stared at the box before his eyes widened. “Hey!! Give me that!!” he yelled before snatching the box. “Where did you get this!!?”

“You left it on your desk,” Stein said with a shrug. “So you’re finally going to propose?”

“Yeah, what of it…”

“I’ll be honest, when I heard you and Chuuya got together I wasn’t too sure about it.” Dazai blinked in surprise. “I thought to myself, ‘There’s no way this is gonna work out.’ But then I watched the two of you together, and you looked so close that I was reassured.” The brunette blushed madly at this and the scientist gave a smile. “And then I thought, ‘Those two have found a love that’s sure to last forever.’”

“Didn’t you say the same about your ex-partner,” Dazai mumbled.

“Yeah,” Stein said, giving the other Meister a smile. “But you have a little more hope than he ever did.”

Dazai was touched. “Aw, Stein, that's--”

“Of course, I’ll still be betting a divorce after a year of marriage.”

Dazai gaped before going over and starting to shake the scientist. “Why you!! I’m gonna kill you, you heartless, backwards freak!!”

“Oh yeah, one other thing,” Stein said calmly, forcing the other man to stop shaking him. “It seems the Demon Sword has turned up.”

Dazai narrowed his eyes at this. “Are you certain…?”

“Yes, and she’s fighting Atsushi and Akutagawa. This is gonna turn out bad.”

* * *

Atsushi sweated a little as he stared at the sword. _‘Why am I on edge? I shouldn’t be feeling like this! I’m a Meister!’_

Akutagawa squeezed his Meister’s hand. “Relax, Jinko,” he said, sensing his distress. “You have me. We can beat her.”

The witch boy relaxed a little before gripping his hand onto his weapon after the latter transformed. “If it’s a fight you want,” he said as he twirled his scythe. “It’s a fight you’re gonna get!”

Kirin simply stared at him before rushing forward and thrusting her sword, only to be blocked and pushed back. Atsushi swung his scythe and clashed blades with the swordswoman. Kirin stepped back with every swing of the scythe and blocked it to avoid being struck, twirling like a dancer to avoid another swing.

_‘She fights as if she were a dancer,’_ Atsushi thought to himself. “Rashomon!” The black tendril emerged from the blade and it tripped Kirin.

“You have her now!” Akutagawa yelled out as the girl lost her footing.

The witch boy took this opportunity to swing his scythe and slice through. But it only stuck against her, causing him to be shocked. “It… didn’t go through her…?”

Mori grinned. “Did you really think you could slice her in half?”

Kirin looked indifferent as she stared at the blade. “That hurts… it really does…”

Atsushi blinked when he saw black blood dripping from the wound. “What…. Black blood?”

“That’s right,” Kirin suddenly whispered in his ear. “My blood is black…”

The witch boy gasped and jumped back away from her. She simply stared at him with indifference.

“Boss always says that there are all kinds of opponents out there,” she said suddenly. “Human…. Kishin…. Witch…. Warlock… All can be a common enemy that can be crushed under your heel, but can also crush you…” She raised her sword in front of her. “Let’s see which of us will be crushed first…”

Teeth appeared on the blade and Armageddon let out a demonic shriek that resonated throughout the whole building, Atsushi cringing at how loud it was before gaping at the sight of a dark wave of teeth slashing through the floors and used Rashomon to block it. 

“What the hell was that!?” Akutagawa growled as he felt Rashomon shiver. “Rashomon is completely petrified from that scream!”

“What do you mean!?” The witch boy asked before barely blocking Kirin’s blade with his scythe.

But when she thrust her sword again, Armageddon let out another scream and when Atsushi tried to guard, it slashed through his scythe a little. His partner grunted as he felt his shoulder get slashed and the scythe began to bleed.

“Ryuu…,” Atsushi whispered in shock at the sight of his partner’s blood before kicking Kirin away, the girl stumbling back in slight surprise. “Ryuu… She pierced you through your weapon form….?” This was bad.

“It’s just a small wound,” Akutagawa grunted. “Let’s keep fighting.”

“But she can pierce you with her sword, even in your weapon form!” the witch boy said in a panic. “What if she kills you!!?”

“I am your weapon partner, Jinko!!” the demon weapon yelled. “That means I am prepared to die for my Meister!!”

Kirin tilted her head as she studied the two. “You don’t plan to run…. Do you?” Armageddon gave a sharp scream.

_‘Dammit,’_ Atsushi thought. _‘I can’t do anything to her. I can't deal damage, and if I guard Ryuu will be killed.’_

The girl then got on her tiptoes and began to twirl like a dancer as she swung her sword back and forth, approaching the witch boy quickly and forcing him to dodge every slice. She then stopped twirling and started thrusting her sword at Atsushi, making him dodge continuously as the blade was aimed for his head.

“Jinko, what’re you doing!?” the demon scythe demanded angrily. “Fight back!!”

_‘What can I do?’_ the witch boy thought as he continued to dodge. _‘I know I can’t beat her… and if I guard, Ryuu will…’_

Kirin still had this dead look in her eyes as Armageddon screamed and Atsushi was backed against the doors.

“We’re getting out of here!” he said before slamming his body against the doors to pry them open, but they wouldn’t budge. “What!? Why won’t they open!?” He gasped as the blade was held against his throat.

“Poor kitten…,” Kirin said monotonously. “Don’t you know?” She raised her sword above her head. “These doors only open one way, and that’s inward…”

The witch boy’s heterochromatic eyes widened in fear as he realized she was going to kill him in one strike and Akutagawa panicked.

_“STOP IT, JINKO!!!”_

_“BUT RYUU, IF I GUARD YOU’LL DIE!!!”_

Before he could react, Kirin swiftly swung her blade down, and then the next thing he knew, blood was flying everywhere. But it wasn’t coming from him. It was coming from Akutagawa, who had turned into his human form in order to take the blow for Atsushi as the blood was coming from the slash that started from his shoulder to his torso.

All the witch boy could do was gape in shock and disbelief.

_Ryuu…._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Suspense!!!


	8. The Snake Warlock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Atsushi is saved by Dazai and Chuuya, who take Kirin on, but also meet a familiar face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tadaa

_ “RYUUUU!!!!” _

Mori grinned at the sound of Atsushi’s screams. “Go on, Kirin,” he said. “Finish them.”

Kirin simply stared down at the two as Atsushi hovered over the injured Akutagawa. “As you wish, Boss,” she said as Armageddon only groaned.

The witch boy stared down at his weapon partner in shock, fear, and guilt. Shock because Akutagawa had shifted in order to protect him, fear because of how much blood he was losing, and guilt because he had been so weak that he allowed this to happen.

“Ryuu,” he said as tears formed in his eyes before reaching out with shaking hands and began to heal his wound. “This is all my fault…” His frustration grew when his power kept flickering due to his lack of concentration. How could he concentrate? His weapon got hurt because of him!

The girl raised her sword again, the blade pointed downward this time. “Goodnight, little kitten,” she said monotonously. “Sweet dreams…”

Before she could strike the witch boy, a large black blade busted through the door and stabbed Kirin through her torso, causing her to cough up blood before a foot busted through and kicked her away, causing her to skid back and Armageddon hardened her blood to keep her from bleeding out her from her torso. 

Atsushi turned in shock when Dazai stepped through with a black scythe in his hands.

“Now what do we have here,” Dazai said with a smirk. “Looks like we have a parasite we need to dispose of.”

“Dazai-san…?” the witch boy said in disbelief. “If you’re here… then that scythe must be…”

Chuuya shifted into his human form and was kneeling beside Atsushi. “We’re here, Atsushi,” he said seriously. “Everything is going to be fine.” He looked at the boy’s hands, and realized he was trying to use regeneration magic on his pupil. When he looked at how severe the wound was, he tried so hard to suppress his rage before taking his black coat off his shoulders and draping it over Akutagawa. “Atsushi, stop for now. You’re too out of it to control your magic properly.”

“But…” Atsushi tried to protest.

“He’s right, Atsushi-kun,” Dazai said seriously as he looked back. “You’re in shock of the situation, and it’s making you lose control. You won’t be able to fully heal Akutagawa in this state.” He gave a gentle grin. “Just sit back. We’ll handle the Demon Sword.”

The silverette was reluctant, but when he saw the gentle looks of their mentors, he nodded and stayed beside his weapon. They turned their attention to Kirin as Armageddon shifted into his original form.

“It looks like it’s them,” the demon sword groaned. “Just as Boss said. Do I get a thank you for saving us from dying by that blow?”

Kirin nodded. “Thank you, Armageddon,” she said monotonously.

Chuuya and Dazai narrowed their eyes as Atsushi grew wary. “Dazai-san, do you know what that thing is?” the witch boy asked.

“That creature inside her body is definitely a demon weapon,” the elder Meister answered. “How she even has the weapon inside her, I honestly don’t know.”

“The genius bastard not knowing something?” the Death Scythe piped up. “That’s a first.”

The brunette smirked and held his hand out. “Shall we, darling~”   
  
The ginger smirked back. “Let’s,” he said before transforming into his scythe form and landing in Dazai’s hand.

Mori smirked at the turn of events. “How interesting… Death has sent his best weapon and meister pair:  _ Double Black. _ ”

Dazai twirled his scythe around a bit before pointing his blade at Kirin. “Chuuya, think you can handle the Demon Sword?”

“‘Course I can,” Chuuya said as his image appeared on the black blade. “The hell do you think I am? A rusty old dagger?” He gave a smirk. “Been a long time, huh? Since we last danced like this~”

The brunette gave an appreciative hum. “Does this mean we’ll make love after this battle~?”

“God, stop thinking with your dick,” the ginger said as the blade sweatdropped. “It’s not the time for that.”

The girl only stared at the two with a blank expression. “Boss, do I fight them?” she asked.

“Why not?” the snake warlock said with a grin. “Let’s see how long you can last against the original Double Black.”

“Yes, sir,” she said before Armageddon transformed back into his sword form.

They stared at each other before the girl zipped forward and tried to stab him, only for him to block with his scythe. Atsushi gaped in awe at how Dazai easily blocked Kirin’s attacks with simple swings of his scythe. Chuuya grinned within the scythe before activating his wavelength and making her sword fall to the ground.

Kirin’s iridescent green eyes widened in shock before grunting in pain as the scythe blade sunk into her shoulder.

“You’re good,” Dazai said with a frown, “but obviously Mori hasn’t taught you enough in combat.”

Kiring then fell to her knees as she was pushed down by gravity. “Chuuya Nakahara…,” she grunted out an analysis. “Death Scythe of Lord Death… Partner of Osamu Dazai…. Holder of gravity wavelength…”

“Someone did her homework,” Chuuya commented. “Mori didn’t waste time educating her.”

“Well, if that’s the case, why don’t we educate you a little more?” Dazai said, frowning down at the girl. “A true member of the Port Mafia wouldn’t carelessly attack students of the DWMA. That’s the first thing Mori should’ve taught you the minute you joined.” The scythe glowed a red aura. “You’ll be on your knees for a whi--” He cut himself off with a pained grunt, brown eyes wide as a black spike pierced into his side.

“The hell!?” Chuuya shouted in shock as droplets of black blood floated in the air.

_ “Bloody Needle…” _

The droplets developed devil horns and one red eye before they shot black needles at the Meister, who swiftly dodged it by jumping into the air and landing a good distance away from Kirin, who stood up with a look of indifference after she was released from Chuuya’s wavelength.

“Is that the blood she spat up?” the ginger asked as he looked at the droplets of black blood. “How is she using it as a weapon?”

“I don’t think that’s the case,” Dazai said with narrowed eyes as he used soul perception and saw a large iridescent green soul with devil horns surrounding the girl. “It seems more like the weapon is in control. The Meister seems to be giving her weapon control, but she still has enough strength to fight back. If she ends up losing control completely, this could get bad.” His brown eyes narrowed more. “There’s something else…” A black snake was coiling around the soul and hissing at him. “I see a snake coiling around it. What’s it doing there…?”

“Osamu Dazai…,” Kirin said monotonously. “The Demon Prodigy…”

The brunette gave a bitter grin. “He really has been educating you…”

“Dazai, let’s hurry up and take her down,” the ginger said seriously. “We need to take Ryuu back to the academy, and fast.”

Dazai knew Chuuya was trying to keep his mind off of Mori, and he couldn’t help but love him even more for taking his mind elsewhere. “We’ll make this quick then,” he said before charging at the girl.

Kirin perried the scythe blade and answered it with a couple thrusts of her sword, only to be blocked off by the Meister half of Double Black.

Dazai smirked as he wrapped a loose bandage around her ankle and yanked it to make her trip before Chuuya used gravity to push her outside, making her land on her side. Atsushi watched as Dazai walked outside of the hospital and Armageddon shifted into his original skeletal form.

“You truly are the demon prodigy,” the demon sword groaned. “But you cannot escape the black blood!”

The brunette looked as dozens of black blood droplets surrounded him.

“Oh my, it looks like this is going to be painful,” he said thoughtfully. “Now I’m starting to wish that we did a double suicide with those mushrooms.”

“Those didn’t work idiot,” Chuuya said bluntly.

“So mean…” Dazai sighed before smiling. “Ready, partner?”

The ginger grinned. “Always.”

Dazai then started twirling his scythe over and over and as the needles extended and shot down, bandages appeared and the needles got stuck against them. Atsushi quickly realized that the bandages were made of Dazai’s wavelength.

“Nice trick,” Armageddon said as he stuck his head out of Kirin’s torso. “But that won’t be enough to-- huh?” He was cut off when he saw that the brunette was gone. “Hey! Where did he go!?” The demon sword looked around before looking above to see Dazai in the air. “What the--!?”

Armageddon was cut off when Dazai kicked Kirin in the head as he landed on the ground.

“Now then,” the brunette said as he raised his scythe. “Lay down like the good dog you are.”

He swung his scythe at the girl, and sliced through her torso before kicking her away and making her skid across the ground. Atsushi blinked in awe as he watched from behind the door.

_ ‘Dazai-san and Chuuya-san really are amazing…’ _

“I hate to say this, little girl,” Dazai said as he stared coldly down at Kirin, “but you’re finished.”

Silence fell on everyone before Kirin suddenly started screaming in pain as Armageddon yelled out and spikes kept popping in and out of her body. This left the witnesses stunned.

“The hell is going on?” Chuuya asked.

“She’s going through Soul Rejection,” Dazai said seriously.

Atsushi blinked as he saw the souls clashing together, as if they were at war with one another. Soul Rejection is when two incompatible souls clash with one another. If one personality were to fight another personality, the souls would immediately reject each other. If this were any other Weapon, the Meister’s hands would’ve been burned. But in Kirin’s case, she was basically being torn apart from the inside.

“The souls are now in balance,” he said as he watched the girl writhe in pain, “but they’re just falling apart…”

Mori frowned as he watched Kirin’s condition. “It looks like she’s reached her limit,” he said thoughtfully. “Very well… Soul Protect…  _ Release. _ ”

At this command, a dark aura started to spread throughout the area and Atsushi flinched in fear when he felt the menacing aura, eyes wide and body shaking. “I sense something…,” he said in fear as he looked up at the sky. “A dark soul… just up ahead…”

Dazai’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “I feel it, too,” he said. “It’s a warlock.”

Mori stared down at everyone as his soul appeared before the eyes of the Meisters, arrows wiggling in the air as if they were snakes.

“And judging from the shape of his soul, it’s a powerful one.”

“But how?” The witch boy asked. “I should’ve sensed a soul like this earlier!”

“Soul Protect,” Dazai explained. “It’s a special spell that allows any witch or warlock to conceal their soul wavelength from the eyes of Meisters. Not a lot of them can learn it.”

“It’s him, isn’t it?” Chuuya asked seriously. “That damn snake…”

“Yes,” Dazai replied. “It’s him.”

“It’s so good to see you again, Dazai-kun,” Mori said with a smile. “I see you have been doing well. And Chuuya-kun, too. My, seeing you both together like this, it just brings back memories doesn’t it?”

“You’ve got a lot of nerve showing your face here, Mori,” the brunette called up with a glare. “How dare you think you can send in your Demon Sword after our students.”

“Did you enjoy fighting her?” the snake warlock asked. “She’s a magnificent specimen, isn’t she?”

“She attacked the students,” the ginger stated coldly.

“You say attacked, I say it is more of an exercise,” Mori said casually. “I figured I could see how strong she was against your pupils, and I must say that the fight has brought rather satisfying results. But I should’ve suspected that she would be too weak against Double Black. Now I’m going to have to take her home. But first…” He raised his arms and started waving them up and down.

_ Snake, snake, cobra, cobra… _

Arrows began to sprout from the warlock’s back as he chanted.

_ Snake, snake, cobra, cobra… _

“Why don’t we see how well you can still fight against a powerful warlock,” Mori suggested with a sinister grin.  _ “Won’t that be fun~?” _

_ Vector Arrow _

At this call, the arrows shot down with the intention to pierce the Meister below him, and Dazai swung his scythe in the air as the blade started glowing red.

_ “Let’s go! Soul Resonance!” _

Dazai gripped his scythe as the arrows got closer.

_ “Witch Hunter!” _

With a swing of his scythe, the arrows were sliced to pieces with Witch Hunter. Atsushi watched this in awe.  _ ‘Amazing,’  _ he thought.  _ ‘They stop a powerful warlock’s attack with just one move!’  _ He looked down at the unconscious Akutagawa in guilt.  _ ‘Ryuu… We could’ve done the same against that girl… But I…’ _

Mori grinned as he held the end of his scarf. “Impressive,” he said. “I expected nothing less of the infamous Double Black.” The scarf then slithered away from him before it started to get bigger and the end turned into a head of a giant red snake. It hissed as it got close to the unconscious Kirin and grabbed her up into its mouth before returning to its master’s side. “I would love to stay and chat, but I’m afraid that I’ll have to play with you kids some other time.” Mori smiled. “I do believe that we will meet again very soon.”

With that, the snake warlock took his ward and swiftly left the area.

“Are we just gonna let him go?” Chuuya asked his Meister.

“We don’t have a choice,” Dazai said before looking at Atsushi and Akutagawa. “We need to get Akutagawa to the academy now. That’s our top priority.”

Atsushi stared down at his weapon before he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked at his mentor in sadness. “Dazai-san…”

Dazai smiled down sadly at his pupil. “Come on, Atsushi-kun. Let’s go home.”

* * *

_ DWMA _

Atsushi waited outside anxiously as Stein and Yosano operated on Akutagawa in the infirmary. They had been doing this for about an hour, and the witch boy only grew more anxious. Rumors about Akutagawa being heavily injured had spread like wildfire, and Gin had rushed as quickly as she could to be beside Atsushi.

The demon weapon looked at Atsushi before reaching out and squeezing his hand. “It’ll be okay,” she assured. “Nii-san won’t allow himself to go out like this. Not when he is close to becoming a Death Scythe.”

The witch boy only trembled at this. “Gin… I’m sorry I couldn’t protect him,” he said. “I didn’t want him to get killed, and now it just looks like he might die anyway…” He closed his eyes tightly. “I’m so useless!”

Gin held both of his hands at this. “Atsushi, it’s not your fault,” she said gently. “Nobody knew this was going to happen, but Nii-san wanted to protect you. Not just because it’s a Weapon partner’s duty, but because he cares about you more than anything.”

Atsushi opened his eyes and looked at her. “.... Really?”

Gin nodded. “He’ll tell you that himself when he wakes up,” she said.

At this cue, Stein and Yosano both stepped out of the infirmary and the students quickly moved towards them.

“Well, how is he?” Atsushi asked desperately. “Is Ryuu gonna be okay!?”

Stein gave a grin. “The operation was a complete success,” he said.

Both students gave a sigh of relief and Yosano grinned. “He’s going to need a few days of rest in bed, but he’ll bounce back in no time,” she informed.

“Is it okay, if we go see him?” the witch boy asked.

“I don’t see why not,” the butterfly witch said. “Stein?”

“He’s asleep at the moment, but you can go ahead and see him,” the scientist said, approving of the request.

Both students nodded before going inside to see Akutagawa.

“Quite the hopeful information you just gave them.”

The two doctors looked to see Dazai and Chuuya with frowns on their faces.

“Alright, out with it,” Chuuya demanded with a slight glare. “What’s really going on with Ryuu’s condition?”

Stein pulled the cigarette from his mouth and blew out some smoke before frowning. "His wound was serious, but that wasn't the main concern during the operation," he said honestly. "It looks like the black blood ended up seeping into him as well."

The pair's eyes widened in shock. 

"What the hell do you mean?" The Death Scythe asked. "Are you telling me he has black blood now!?"

"We tried to extract the black blood from his system, but it wouldn't budge," Yosano said with a frown. "It's almost like that stuff has a mind of its own."

"If that's the case, what should we do?" Dazai asked seriously.

"From here on out, we'll need to pay close attention to Akutagawa," Stein said. "If he's infected with black blood, then we'll need to be prepared for anything."

Atsushi and Gin sat beside Akutagawa as he slept, unaware of the discussion that took place outside of the infirmary. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I figured that I would give the role of Medusa to Mori because let's face it, he a goddamn snake


	9. Fool!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Atsushi asks Dazai to tell him the tale of his mentor's discovery of his love for his weapon. It isn't what he expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm fairly certain you can tell from the title who is gonna be in this chapter

_ Darkness. _

_ That was all Akutagawa could see. Darkness and his own blood spilling from his wound. He didn’t know where he was, nor how he got here. All he knew was that he was in darkness, and his own blood was his only company. _

_ “How long have I been here?” he asked himself tiredly. “Why doesn’t it hurt? Is this how death feels like? Emptiness?” His silver eyes drooped a little. “How foolish could I be…? Dazai was right… I’m really not worthy of being Chuuya-san’s successor…” His mind drifted off to the smiling face of his Meister. “Jinko… Are you still alive?” _

** _“No. No! Stop!”_ **

_ His eyes widened at the sound. “That’s Jinko’s voice!” He looked up to the bright light that was just above him. “Hold on! I’m coming!” _

_ With what little strength he had, Akutagawa swam up to the light as he followed Atsushi’s voice. _

** _“Ryu!”_ **

_ He got closer to the light and reached out. When he broke through a wall, he was covered in blood and his Meister screamed in horror as his weapon had emerged from his stomach. _

Akutagawa screamed as he woke up and started thrashing in bed. Atsushi got scared as he held his Weapon’s hand tightly.

“Ryuu!” he said in worry as Yosano and Chuuya quickly entered the infirmary.

“What’s going on?” the doctor said.

“It’s Ryuu,” the witch boy explained as the demon scythe continued thrashing around. “He just started screaming!”

The Death Scythe used his wavelength to push his pupil down on the bed. “Ryuu! Calm down!” he demanded.

The moment he heard his mentor's voice, Akutagawa stopped screaming and took in deep breaths before clenching his Meister’s hands tightly. Everyone in the room watched as he calmed down his breathing before the witch boy spoke.

“Ryuu…?”

“It’s alright,” Akutagawa breathed out before looking at his Meister. “I just had a bad dream. That’s all…”

Atsushi frowned at this, but he didn’t say anything. Yosano gave a smile. “Well, since you’re awake, it’s about time we do your monthly checkup,” she informed before walking off to get the necessary tools.

Both Atsushi and Chuuya had stepped out so that Yosano could do her checkup on Akutagawa. The witch boy looked at the petite Death Scythe.

“Hey, Chuuya-san, how long has Akutagawa had these check ups for his pleurisy?” he asked.

“Six years,” Chuuya answered. “He and Gin lived in the slums before I found them. The air was heavily polluted, and it really did a lot of damage to his lungs. Yosano couldn’t even use magic to help him.”

“Really?” Atsushi asked in surprise. “Even regeneration magic couldn’t do anything? How?”

“Not sure,” the ginger said with a frown. “He’s been prescribed medication, though, so there isn’t much to worry about. He’s pretty damn stubborn sometimes.”

After the checkup was done, the two remained by his side until it was sunset.

“Atsushi, go ahead and go home,” Chuuya said. “I’ll stay here with him. Gin, Kyouka and Shirayuki are probably wondering where you are.”

“Right,” the witch boy said before getting up. “Is there anything you need before I go, Akutagawa?”

Akutagawa simply shook his head. “I’m fine,” he said. “Let the girls know I said hello.”

Atsushi was a little reluctant to leave, but his partner gave a small grin.

“Go home,” he said gently. “I’ll be fine.”

The silverette eventually caved and nodded before leaving the infirmary. When he stepped out, he leaned against the door as the heavy weight of guilt fell onto his shoulders. No matter how many times people have said it wasn’t his fault, he couldn’t help but feel guilty for what happened to his Weapon partner. He heard someone clear their throat before he looked up to see Dazai smiling at him.

“Dazai-san…?”

“Come on outside,” the brunette said. “We’ll watch the sunset.”

Atsushi didn’t know the purpose of this, but perhaps watching the sunset wouldn’t hurt.

“Okay…”

* * *

“You are the biggest child ever,” Atsushi mumbled as Dazai laughed at the sleeping sun.

“No matter how many times I see the sun sleeping like that, I can never stop laughing,” the brunette laughed as the sun was drooling as it slept before calming down. “But you have to admire the beautiful shade of orange.” He sighed dreamily. “Just seeing that color reminds me of my darling’s beautiful curly hair~”

The witch boy suddenly had a thought. Gin had mentioned that Ryuu protected him because he meant a lot to him, and Atsushi couldn’t help but blush at the thought.

“Hey, Dazai-san?”

“Yeah?”

“How did you find out that you were in love with Chuuya-san?”

Dazai blinked at this, clearly not expecting the question. He blinked a few more times before reaching up to rub the back of his head with a sheepish look. “Oh, uh, this is a little embarrassing,” he mumbled.

“Why? What’s the matter?” The silverette asked curiously.

“Well, how I found out isn’t exactly something I want to remember,” the brunette gave a sheepish laugh. “Chuuya doesn’t exactly let me live it down…”

“Why? How did you find out?” Atsushi asked, now becoming even more curious, much to his mentor’s dismay.

“Well, it was when I was sixteen and still a student here…”

* * *

_ Six Years Ago _

Dazai, clad in a black coat and face covered in bandages, stood boredly within the messy room of the academy’s library. “Hey, Odasaku, what exactly are we doing here?” he asked boredly.

Before him stood a tall young man five years his senior with red hair, blue eyes and a stubble. This was Sakunosuke Oda, Odasaku by close friends, a graduate Meister and current teacher at the DWMA.

“You’re here to clean this mess of books up, Dazai,” he said simply. “This is your assigned punishment for pulling that prank on the NOT class students.”

The brunette scowled a little. “Cleaning?” he asked in distaste. “No way! You know I don’t do any of that!”

Oda sighed at this behavior. “Dazai, you are at 88 Kishin eggs already,” he said. “Just because there hasn’t been an exciting mission in a month, doesn’t mean you have to harass any of your classmates or the NOT class out of sheer boredom.” He gave a scolding glare. “And it’s  _ not fair  _ to Chuuya, since you tried to put the blame on him.”

Dazai gaped at this in shock. “You’re taking that stupid hatrack’s side!?”

“It’s not about taking sides, Dazai,” Oda sighed. “It’s about taking responsibility for your actions and not shoving them onto your weapon partner.” He turned and walked to the door. “Now, I’ll come check on your progress of cleaning this mess up in about thirty minutes.”

The brunette looked at the  _ many  _ piles of books in the library in dismay before whining. “This is a huge mess! Can’t you at least help me with this!?”

“That would defeat the purpose,” the elder Meister said, not even looking to the student’s way as he opened the door. “As a teacher, I don’t spoil my students.” With that, he walked out the door and was gone.

Dazai groaned in defeat before staring at the pile. “Great…. Now what?”

_ 5 minutes later _

Dazai sat on top of one of the piles of books, flipping through a suicide book that he happened to have found hidden within one of the piles. “The library is absolutely cruel for hiding this from me!” he said as his only visible brown eye sparkled at the many methods of suicide being explained in the book. “Who knew that there were so many methods of suicide!”

“Can you tone it down? You’re in the library.”

The brunette turned to the source of the noise and saw his classmate, Kunikida, standing beside the pile with a serious look on his face. Despite the two being the same age, it was clear that Kunikida was far more mature than Dazai.

“Oh, hey, Kunikida-kun,” Dazai greeted. “What? Did you get punished, too?”

“Unlike you, I am actually here to check out a book,” the blonde said as he looked over the pile. “I’m doing research on the history of famous weapons.” One book caught his eye. “Matter of fact, you happen to be sitting on a book that has caught my attention.”

The bandaged Meister looked underneath himself before pulling the book out and handing it to the other. He looked over his classmate’s shoulder to read the title of the book:  _ Excalibur. _

“Excalibur? The Holy Sword?” Dazai asked. “Such a legendary weapon exists?”

“Obviously,” Kunikida said as he opened up the book and began to read. “Even though it dates back to the twelfth century, the legend isn’t exactly unheard of.”

“Isn’t the Holy Sword only used by the chosen hero?”

“That’s what the legend says. If it didn’t, anyone other than King Arthur would’ve been able to wield it.”

Dazai read the pages over Kunikida’s shoulder as the latter read the book. By the time the other got to the twentieth page, the brunette had an idea.

“I know! Why don’t we go find it!” he said with a bright smile.

“Why would you need to find Excalibur when you already have a weapon partner?” Kunikida asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I’m sick of being partnered with that slug,” Dazai scoffed. “I want a weapon who can actually meet my excellent predictions. And you can’t tell me you’re not sick of Katai.”

The blonde’s eye twitched. “Katai may be cowardly in nature, but he gets the job done,” he said in defense of his weapon partner.

“So you admit that he’s cowardly, and it disrupts your so called schedule?” the brunette asked.

“I didn’t say it disrupts my schedule, you bandage wasting machine!”

“But you didn’t deny it~”

“What are you boys bickering about?”

Both students turned to Fukuzawa, one of the senior staff members of the DWMA, coming towards them in his usual calm manner.

“Hey, Fukuzawa-san, do you happen to know the legend of the Holy Sword: Excalibur?” Dazai asked.

“Moron, why would you--” Kunikida was going to scold the other when the man hummed.

“The Holy Sword: Excalibur,” the elder Meister said calmly with his eyes closed. “It was too much even for me.”

Both students gaped in shock at this before they looked at the book.

“Now we really need to go look for it!” Dazai insisted. “Come on! This is a golden opportunity!”

With this, Kunikida finally caved. “Fukuzawa-san, do you happen to know where we can find the Holy Sword?” he asked.

The Silver Wolf was silent for a second before he spoke. “In a cave outside of the city,” he answered. “You’ll be looking for a waterfall.”

“Great!” The brunette said before dragging the blonde out. “Holy Sword: Excalibur, here we come!”

“Hold on!! You’re still being punished!!” the blonde yelled as he was dragged out. “Can’t we just wait until tomorrow!!!”

Fukuzawa watched the two leave before giving a sigh. “It looks like they’re going to learn the hard way…”

When they found the waterfall, both Meisters looked above to see how they could climb up.

“Maybe we should’ve brought Katai with us,” Dazai mumbled as he looked at how high the wall was.

“You were the one who insisted on coming here without our partners so we could have the chance to get a new one,” Kunikida stated as he held the book in his hands. He tucked it under his left arm before he gave a stretch. “Well, it can’t be helped. We’re going to have to climb up there.”

The brunette was going to protest but the blonde already started climbing up at a surprisingly fast pace even with the book, leaving the bandaged boy behind as he made it to the top.

Kunikida looked down at the gaping Dazai. “Well?” he called. “You coming or what?”

“No fair!” the brunette whined before beginning to climb up, though he took his sweet time climbing up the wall.

By fifteen minutes, Dazai managed to get to the top, though he was panting from exhaustion and laid face first on the ground. “Made it…,” he groaned.

“If you participated in gym class, then you wouldn’t be this exhausted,” Kunikida stated bluntly before walking into the cave. “Come on. The sooner we can find Excalibur, the sooner we can get this over with.”

“You’re such a slave driver,” the brunette whined as he got up and followed.

They waded through the stream as they walked through the cave. “The book says we’ll be able to find the sword at the very end of the cave,” the blonde informed as he looked over the book.

“Yeah, yeah,” the bandaged boy said boredly as he followed.

Both stopped when a fairy flew towards them and gave them a smile.

“What’s a fairy doing here?” Dazai asked, blinking.

“Considering that we’re looking for a legendary sword, I highly doubt it would be surprising to find fairies around here,” Kunikida said before speaking to the fairy. “Is the Holy Sword: Excalibur down here? Are we on the right path?”

The fairy’s expression turned into one of disgust before flying away while the two could only stare after her.

“Not a very polite fairy, is she?” the brunette commented.

The blonde simply sighed before they continued on. By the time they did reach the end, they finally found the Holy Sword stuck into the ground and gazed upon it in awe.

“How incredible,” Kunikida said as he gazed upon the golden blade. “This is deserving of the legendary sword… The sword that can only be pulled out by the chosen hero… By… me…”

At this, Dazai easily pulled out the sword.

....

“Oh my~ It looks like I’m a hero, Kunikida-kun~” Dazai said as sparkles formed around him and Kunikida fell to his knees. “Sucks to be you right now~!”

“No way… That’s gotta be a mistake!!” the blonde yelled as he immediately stood up. “Let’s try that again!!”

The brunette snickered before sinking the sword back in the ground. “Okay~” he sang. “I highly doubt it’ll work though~”

Kunikida sweat a little as he stared at the sword before reaching out with a gulp. When he grabbed the hilt, he breathed in before easily pulling it out.

….

“It came out?” the idealist said incredulously.

“What!?” Dazai said in shock. “No way! How did you pull the sword out!? I had to have loosened it!!”

_ “Welcome.” _

Both Meisters blinked at this.

_ “Welcome to my cave, young ones.” _

The sword began to float in the air as it glowed a golden light.

“It’s talking…,” Dazai said in an uneasy tone.

_ “Please forgive the belated salutations. I am the Holy Sword:  _ ** _Excalibur!_ ** _ ” _

Both Meisters shielded their eyes when the golden light shined brighter as the sword began to transform into his true form. When the light vanished, both looked down with wide eyes as they stared at the true form of Excalibur.

“How… incredibly…”

_ Lame. _

* * *

Oda opened the door to the library and stepped inside.

“Dazai? Did you finish cleaning the library up?” he asked, but blinked when he saw the room sparkly clean and grinned. “There. See what you can do when you put your mind to it?” he said as he inspected the room.

Chuuya, then having shorter hair, looked towards Oda. “Oh, hey, Soda,” he greeted as he picked up a book from the ground. “Just gonna put this last book up, then I’ll be all done.”

The Meister blinked at the sight of the demon scythe before face palming. “Damnit, Dazai,” he grumbled. “So he dumped his punishment on his own weapon and took off, did he?”

The ginger blanched. “Wait, this is that shitty mackerel’s punishment!?”

“If you’re looking for Dazai, he isn’t here,” Fukuzawa called as he was sitting down and reading a book. “He went with Kunikida to search for the holy sword. Has he done something wrong?”

Oda’s eyes widened. “Holy Sword... You mean…?”

The elder Meister opened his eyes, hard as steel. “Yes. Excalibur.”

“The same sword that tears the air, and shakes the very ground?” Oda asked in astonishment.

…..

Fukuzawa turned back to his book. “Let’s not talk about,” he suggested.

“Yeah, good idea,” Oda sighed in exhaustion, causing Chuuya to be confused. “Somehow, this will be the ultimate remedial lesson…”

Kunikida’s eyebrow twitched as he looked at the… Holy Sword? What he saw was some sort of anthropomorphic creature in a long top hat and some frilly shirt. What’s worse, his eyes looked like arts and crafts gone wrong. Not to mention the curved nose he had. And what on earth was with the cane?

“This… is the Holy Sword?” he asked in disbelief as Dazai covered his mouth to contain his snickering. “Seriously?”

Excalibur(?) huffed and pointed his cane at him. “You’re one to talk in that funny outfit,” he said. “Who are you exactly?”

“My name is Doppo Kuni--”

“My legend dates back to the twelfth century, thank you very much,” the weapon interrupted. “From the looks of you, you two appear to be Meisters. Where are you children from?”

“Could you please not point that cane at me?” The blonde demanded as he pushed the cane away.

“We’re from Death Weapon Mei--” Dazai was cut off by the weapon before he could finish.

“I know that,” Excalibur said before turning away. “Come here. I want to show you something.”

Both Meisters stared in disbelief as the weapon walked forward.

“What on earth is with this guy?” Kunikida mumbled. “And why isn’t he wearing any pants.”

“He’s surprisingly shorter than Chuuya,” Dazai mumbled.

Excalibur turned to the two and pointed his cane at them. “You two!” he said. “Do you want to hear the legend of me?”

The blonde had a tick mark as the cane was right in his face. “Could you please put that cane away?” he growled.

“Do you want to hear a heroic tale?”

“Get that stupid cane out of my face!?”

“Where did you two travel from?”

“Like we said, we’re from Death Weapon--”

“What is your favorite number between one and twelve?”

“Favorite number?” Dazai asked before smiling. “Well, mine is two, because I dream to commit a double suicide with a beautiful woman.”

“And I don’t exactly have a favorite number,” Kunikida answered, pushing the cane away. “Because I have a number of idea--”

“FOOLS!!” Excalibur shouted. “What right do you have to choose a number!? My legend dates back all the way to the twelfth century, you know!”

Both Meisters got confused.

“You asked us to pick a number, so we did,” the brunette stated.

The Holy Sword looked at Dazai for a moment before pointing his cane at him. “You!” he said, causing the bandaged boy to flinch. “What is your favorite color?”

Dazai was caught off guard. “I don’t have a favorite color exa--”

"FOOL!" Excalibur said. "You precisely have two colors in mind. The first color is orange like the sunset and blue like a sapphire.”

“Uh…”

“You love these colors because they remind you of your beloved.”

Dazai only got more confused. “While I appreciate those colors, I have no beloved yet. I haven’t found a beautiful wo--”

“FOOL!” the Holy Sword said. “Who said anything about a woman?”

This confused the brunette even more. Orange and blue for a man…? He turned white as it hit him.  _ ‘Wait… he’s not talking about that slug, is he?’  _ he thought to himself. “Uh, hey, I think you’ve got me confu--”

“FOOL! Do you want to hear my legend or not?” Excalibur demanded as he pointed his cane at them.

Eventually, Dazai started to get annoyed. “Just quit it with the cane already,” he grumbled.

“As I said, my legend dates back to the twelfth century,” Excalibur started. “My morning’s begin with a cup of coffee with cream at the cafe.”

“Cafe’s weren’t made in the twelfth century,” Kunikida pointed out.

“FOOL! In the afternoon, I will then have a cup of tea.”

“Sounds natural for an old guy like you,” Dazai said boredly.

“FOOL! At night, I change into my pajamas.”

“Why would we care about that?” the brunette asked.

“If that’s all there is to it, then this was obviously a waste of time,” the blonde said irritably.

“FOOLS!” Excalibur said. “Do you know what this hat is?”

“Huh?”

“I asked, do you know what this hat is?”

“Why are you even asking?” Dazai asked.

“It appears to be made of silk if that’s what you’re asking,” Kunikida answered.

“FOOLS!” the Holy Sword said. “If you don’t know, I guess I will tell you. The taller the chef’s hat, the greater the chef.”

“Okay, so what you’re trying to say is that--”

“FOOL!! Who said I was a chef?”

“Nothing you’re saying makes any sense at all,” Dazai stated irritably.

Excalibur scoffed. “This is why I can’t abide children in love.”

Dazai turned to grip his hair and scream “AAAAHHHHHH!!!! YOU ARE BEYOND ANNOYING!!!”

“Dazai, calm down,” Kunikida said, looking at the other. “Don’t let his nonsense get to you.”

“HOLY SWORD MY ASS!!!” the brunette yelled before turning back and snatching the book from his classmate. “GIVE ME THAT STUPID BOOK!! IT’S COMPLETELY UNRELIABLE!!” He examined it. “Who wrote this crap!?” He managed to find the name of the author.

_ Excalibur. _

…….

“It was you!?” the brunette yelled as he threw the book down.

“No autographs!” Excalibur said as he pointed his cane at them.

* * *

Chuuya walked forward to the teachers with his gloved hands in his pockets. “Uh, Fukuzawa-san, can I ask a curious question about the Holy Sword?” he asked. “I’ve read about it in the books, and it says that the Holy Sword can only be wielded by the chosen hero. So that means that the hero who’s been chosen can match his soul wavelength, right?”

Fukuzawa sighed at this. “No, that’s not true, unfortunately,” he answered. “Surprisingly enough, Excalibur can match with anyone.”

Both Dazai and Kunikida boredly looked down at a couple of large stacks of paper they were holding in their hands.

“Before becoming my Meister, there’s a list of a thousand provisions you must peruse,” Excalibur explained. “Be sure to look through all of them. They are important.”

The blonde turned the page a little. “Even the backs of these pages have been written on,” he mumbled.

“I am mostly looking forward to your participation in number 452: the five hour storytelling party,” the sword said. “And thus!” At this, he transformed into the golden blade, blowing the pages out of their hands.

_ “Thus, you have been chosen! It shall all be yours! Victory and glory!” _

“Victory…,” Kunikida said in a daze as he reached up.

“Glory…,” Dazai said, also in a daze as he too reached out until they both held the swords hilt together.

_ “Now let’s go together!” _

A pair of golden wings appeared for a brief moment before they stuck the sword back into the ground.

“Yeah right!” Dazai said as he glared down at the sword. “Who would want a sword like you!?”

“Useless piece of junk!!” Kunikida agreed with a glare of his own.

“Anyone can match their soul wavelengths with the sword just fine,” Fukuzawa said, sweating as he sounded exhausted just speaking about it from what Chuuya could tell. “But there is no one in the world who can ever match personal wavelengths with Excalibur.”

“Wait! Hold on! Come back!” Excalibur called as the two students walked away. “I’ll tell you what, I can shorten those one thousand provisions to eight hundred… Just as long as you take part in the storytelling party!”

“Anyone who can deal with him is the real hero,” Dazai mumbled.

“Disgusting,” Kunikida mumbled.

The fairy saw the two coming down and smiled. “Oh, hi!” she greeted them as they came toward her. “Did you meet the Holy Sword: Excalibur?”

They simply stared at her before they had a look of disgust before they continued walking through the water to the exit.

“Yeah, they met him,” the fairy said in sympathy.

* * *

_ Next Day _

Dazai walked through the halls with Chuuya as the bell rang and they saw Kunikida. The two Meisters stared at each other before reaching out and shaking hands.

“We both have fine weapons already huh?” the brunette asked.

“Agreed,” the blonde said.

The ginger blinked in confusion before he noticed people laughing at the two. Katai emerged from the classroom and looked to the two Meisters.

“Dazai, Kunikida,” he said. “Come here. You might wanna see this?”

Kunikida and Dazai went into the classroom before gaping in shock and horror at the sight of pink roses formed in a circle around a picture of Excalibur and their names underneath them along with…

_ I’ll always be waiting for you. _

“What is that?” Katai asked, feeling a little intimidated. “It looks intense.”

“Not that freak,” Dazai mumbled as both he and Kunikida had looks of disgust.

“Disgusting,” Kunikida mumbled.

Chuuya covered his mouth to contain his laughter. “Wow!” he laughed. “Sucks to be you guys!”

The brunette glared as the ginger continued laughing.  _ ‘Stupid hatrack! Why didn’t he end up in the Holy Sword’s cave!’  _ he thought bitterly as he watched his weapon laugh. The more he watched, the more his expression began to soften.  _ ‘Then again… Chibi does have a rather nice laugh…’ _

He froze.

_ ‘Wait…. Did I just…?’ _

Chuuya blinked as he stopped laughing when he noticed his Meister turning red. “Oi, mackerel, you okay?” he asked before removing one of his gloves to touch the taller’s forehead. “You’re burning up.”

Dazai’s face only burned even more before he started screaming hysterically and took off running to the infirmary. Everyone blinked in shock and Kunikida sweat a little.

_ ‘So the Holy Sword was right all along,’  _ the blonde thought before glancing at the confused ginger.  _ ‘Best not to say anything…’ _

Meanwhile, Dazai was curled up in a ball as he hid underneath the sheets of one of the beds as he tried and failed to get his face to cool down and his mind was going into hysterics.

_ ‘That stupid sword is wrong!! I’m not in love with that stupid hatrack!! That stupid slug!! Shorty!! Ugly hat!! Wrong!! Wrongwronwrongwrong!!’ _

_ I’M NOT IN LOVE WITH CHUUYA!!! _

* * *

_ Present _

Atsushi blinked in shock as the story was finished. “Wow…,” he said. “That really is embarrassing…”

Dazai groaned. “It really is,” he said. “Of all the people who saw through me, it had to be a stupid sham sword…”

The witch boy patted his mentor’s back in sympathy before something else came to mind. “Dazai-san…”

“Hm?”

“.... Can you tell me about the Demon Sword…”

Dazai grew serious at this before looking out to the city. “The Demon Sword… is the reason why Death Weapon Meister Academy was built,” he said. “Before it was founded. Lord Death and the Great Old Ones only took the souls of humans that were listed to die. But one of the Old Ones ended up falling to his own madness and started devouring souls that were outside of the list. As a result, the first Kishin was born. The Demon Sword is a creature of infinite madness thanks to the black blood that it possesses. Now, Akutagawa is filled with black blood. Atsushi, it’s important that you pay attention to Akutagawa’s behavior. We don’t want him to fall into the madness of the black blood.”

Atsushi stared up at his mentor before nodding. “Understood…”

* * *

Akutagawa laid in bed and stared up at the ceiling as Chuuya was reading a book while sitting beside his student.

“Chuuya-san?” he said suddenly, earning his mentor’s attention.

"What is it, Ryuu?” the petite Death Scythe asked. “Do you need something?”

“Just an honest answer,” the younger demon scythe said. “How did…” He blushed a little. “How did you figure out you were in love with Dazai-san?”

Chuuya blinked at the question before having a thoughtful look. “Hmm… Hell, I didn’t realize it until after I became a Death Scythe,” he said. “I wanted to keep being his partner and surprisingly Lord Death was okay with it.” He raised an eyebrow. “Why are you asking?”

Akutagawa didn’t say anything, but the different shades of red he was turning made Chuuya figure it out.

“Ah. Thinking of confessing?” he teased lightly. “Come to think of it… You planned to confess after you became a Death Scythe, didn’t you?”

The young demon scythe stopped blushing as he stared up at the ceiling. “If I’m going to tell Jinko I love him… I want it to be a memorable moment…”

The elder scythe grinned and pet his student’s hair. “Ryuu, just you telling Atsushi that you love him is memorable enough,” he said softly. “Whether or not you become a Death Scythe, Atsushi is always going to remember your confession. But if that’s what you want, I’m sure he’ll have his jaw dropping~”

Akutagawa smiled at his mentor. “Thank you, Chuuya-san…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is Excalibur added on here? Yes
> 
> Did I give Dazai the most embarrassing way of discovering his love for Chuuya? Yes
> 
> Do I regret doing that?.... Absolutely not. It was hilarious
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	10. The Blade of Eternal Winter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An enemy from the past finally appears, and it tests Kyouka's trust in her Weapon partner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo! How's it going? I managed to finish this in.... I don't know how long. But for the next couple of chapters, it will revolve around Kyouka and Shirayuki.
> 
> Enjoy!

_ One is always told that a weapon is meant to protect their Meister. That Demon Weapons have an unbreakable bond with the Meister thanks to their matching soul wavelengths. _

_ I have no such bond with my own Meister. Yet our wavelengths match. Our resonance is as cold and delicate as snow. _

_ I am the  _ ** _Demon Snow._ **

* * *

“I’m glad you’re doing okay now, Nii-san,” Gin smiled towards her brother as they sat at the table.

“If I didn’t behave myself, Yosano-sensei would’ve chopped me up and used her spell on me to make me stay put,” Akutagawa said simply as he sat between his sister and Meister before a cup of tea was placed in front of him. He looked to the person who placed it down, only to come face to face with Shirayuki.

“Herbal tea,” the demon katana informed. “Yosano-sensei says it will sooth your lungs.”

The demon scythe nodded. “Thank you, Shirayuki,” he said.

Shirayuki simply nodded before continuing to fix up breakfast for everyone. Atsushi glanced over at the silent Kyouka, who sat next to him and read a book.

_ ‘Kyouka and Shirayuki have been rather distant with each other since our fight with Dr. Stein,’  _ he thought to himself.  _ ‘Is it because of what he saw in their souls?’ _

He was cut off from his thoughts when a plate of eggs and bacon were placed in front of him and he smiled. “Thanks, Shirayuki,” he said.

The demon katana only nodded before setting everyone else’s plates down. Akutagawa and Gin thanked her, but Kyouka? Kyouka didn’t even spare a glance when her breakfast was placed down in front of her. The witch boy watched as Shirayuki sat down with her own plate before everyone continued to eat.

Even when they were all heading to the academy straight after, there was tension between the two girls as Kyouka completely kept her distance from her weapon. Shirayuki didn’t seem to mind it, but that didn’t mean everyone else wasn’t worried. Especially when the demon katana headed for the Death Room.

Shirayuki saw Lord Death standing with her aunt Konjiki before bowing to them. “Lord Death,” she greeted. “Konjiki-baasan.”

“Hello, Shirayuki,” Lord Death greeted back. “I have some news. The Blade of Eternal Winter, Fuyuhime, has been found.”

The younger demon katana perked up at this. “Where?”

“She’s heading for the village of Shin,” Konjiki answered. “And she’s come close to becoming a Kishin.”

“She’s already slain several human souls,” the reaper informed. “This is the first in a long time that she’s killed this many since she murdered her own Meister four years ago. If Fuyuhime continues like this, she’s bound to become a full fledged Kishin. Are you sure you’re ready for this, Shirayuki? You know this battle is going to be difficult.”

The Death Scythe knew that as well, and she was hoping that her niece would back down. But the younger demon katana’s eyes hardened.

“I’ll stop Fuyuhime,” Shirayuki said. “Difficult or not, I can do it.”

Lord Death stared down at the young girl. “What does Kyouka have to say about this?” he asked.

Shirayuki softened at this. “Kyouka is more than ready,” she said. “Fuyuhime killed her mother. This is her chance at revenge.”

“.... I know how much she resents you, Shirayuki,” the reaper said. “But I must say, she’s lucky to have you as her partner in spite of those feelings.”

The demon katana softened even more. “I won’t abandon my Meister. I promised…”

* * *

_ Later _

“Hey, did you guys hear?” Kenji asked as everyone sat in the classroom. “Kyouka and Shirayuki just left for a mission.”

“Really?” Atsushi asked. “I guess that explains why they’re not here. What mission did they go on?”

“Apparently they’ve taken on the mission to get the Kishin egg of the Blade of Eternal Winter, Fuyuhime,” the blonde answered, putting the whole group into shock.

“Wow,” Tanizaki said nervously. “I hope they’ll be okay…”

_ ‘The Blade of Eternal Winter,’  _ the witch boy thought seriously.  _ ‘She’s on the verge of becoming a Kishin… So that has to mean that this fight isn’t going to be easy.’ _

He looked towards his weapon partner, who gave a nod before they both got up and started leaving the classroom.

"Guys, where are you going?" The demon mirror asked.

"To talk to Lord Death," Atsushi stated, making the rest of the group look at each other before following close behind. 

* * *

_ Village of Shin _

Kyouka and Shirayuki walked through the village and they both observed the many needles that stuck out from the roofs of each and every house that they passed.

"We should ask around to make sure she didn't get here before us," the Meister said, her weapon nodding in agreement before both approached an old man. "Excuse me, did a woman in a white kimono pass this village?"

The old man hummed. "No, I don't believe anyone has seen a woman in a white kimono come by our village," he said.

The demon katana noticed a couple of children playing ball, and for some reason she remembered herself and Kyouka from when they were little.

_ Kyouka and Shirayuki passed the ball to each other when a familiar voice called. _

_ "Girls! It's lunch time!" Kyouka's mother called out. _

_ Both girls perked up before rushing inside the house. _

_ “Shirayuki,” the woman said, stopping the demon katana. “Can we talk?” _

_ The girl simply nodded before the woman knelt down with a smile. _

_ “You and Kyouka are going to become partners someday, just like me and Fuyuhime,” she said. “So,” he raised her pinky up “will you promise to always protect Kyouka?” _

"Shirayuki."

Shirayuki blinked when her Meister called out to her and she gave Kyouka her attention. 

"It's best that we stake out for now," Kyouka said seriously. "We'll hide in the trees. If the Blade of Eternal Winter comes, that's when we strike."

The demon katana nodded before she heard thunder and her Meister flinched. "Perhaps we should wait in one of the houses," she suggested. "It's going to rain."

"I'll be fine," the Meister said harshly. "The sooner I can spot Fuyuhime with Soul Perception, the sooner we can take her soul."

"At least let me get you an umbrella--”

“I don’t need anything from you other than your weapon form!!”

Shirayuki flinched when Kyouka yelled at her, but she could only watch as her Meister stomped away before following her after giving her space.

Kouyou frowned as she watched Kyouka’s cold treatment from the mirror. “She’s still so cold after all of these years,” she mumbled. “I had hoped that I taught her not to hold it against her demon weapon…”

“It can’t be helped, Kouyou,” Konjiki said simply as she too watched the pair. “Kyouka is bound to hold a bit of resentment.”

The red haired woman looked to her pale haired friend. “You’re thinking about Fuyuhime, aren’t you?”

“My Meister knows me too well,” the Death Scythe said with a bitter smile.

* * *

Kyouka and Shirayuki sat on the tree on opposite branches as the rain fell on them as the Meister was using soul perception to spot the Kishin egg.. Both were rather stoic, but the demon katana could tell her Meister wanted to say something.

“Kyouka, if you have something to say, then say it,” Shirayuki said bluntly.

“There’s nothing to say,” Kyouka stated.

“Obviously there is. I know you resent me.” Her Meister flinched at this. “Nobody else at home can tell, but I can. And it’s no secret that you hold resentment for me after what happened to your family. So just go ahead and say it.”

The blue haired girl started to shake and clench her hands into fists.

“Fine,” she admitted. “I don’t want your help to stop Fuyuhime. I should be the one to defeat her by myself. She was my mother’s demon weapon partner, and she fell so easily into madness that she killed both her and my father right before devouring their souls. And I was next on the menu before she suddenly stopped and left the moment Kouyou-san and Konjaki-san came.” She glared angry tears at her demon weapon. “If Fuyuhime betrayed my mother and took her soul, how do I know that you won’t do the same to me since you’re connected to her!?”

Kyouka breathed in and out as she tried to contain her sobs to no avail. Shirayuki didn’t even look at her when she spoke, didn’t even look at her when she cried.

“Understand this, Kyouka,” the demon katana said. “Where you go, I go. I made a promise to your mom before she died. I’m not letting you die.” She gave her Meister a solemn look. “I’ve got your back, whether you like it or not. So just deal with it.”

Kyouka blinked in shock. Shirayuki just went back to her blank expression before looking forward towards the village.

“You broke your concentration,” she stated. “Compose yourself first before using Soul Perception again.”

The blue haired girl stared at her weapon partner for a moment before wiping away her tears. “Right…”

* * *

A young girl walked around carrying firewood as she headed for her house. “Grandmother is probably making dinner right now,” she mumbled to herself. “I better hurry.”

Unbeknownst to the girl, a woman carrying an umbrella was following right behind her. A cold mist trailed out from behind the woman as she got closer to the girl, who started shivering.

“Why did it suddenly get so cold!” she mumbled as she tried to hold the logs close to her despite how cold it was.

“Are you cold, little one~?”

The girl froze as she stopped in her tracks when she felt the woman’s presence behind her.

“Winter is such a lovely season, don’t you think?” the woman asked with a cold smile as the girl slowly turned towards her in fear. “I often wonder if a human shivers from being cold, or maybe…  _ they are trembling in fear~ _ ”

Kyouka perked up when she heard screaming. “That must be her,” she said.

“Let’s go,” Shirayuki said before they both jumped down from the branches.

“Nanami?” an old woman called, coming out of the house as the girl walked forward, carrying a katana as white as snow. “Nanami? Where did you get that sword?”

“.... an old soul,” the girl, Nanami, said, inheriting a woman’s voice. “But still an easy and quick target.” she raised the blade, her whole body covered in frost and eyes pitch black. “Why don’t I go ahead and devour your soul?”

The old woman quivered in fear when ‘Nanami’ raised the sword and was going to strike, but another blade clashed with hers, and Kyouka stood in front of the old woman as her weapon was in her hands.

‘Nanami’ blinked before she smiled. “My, my,” she said. “If it isn’t little Kyouka. You’ve grown so much since I saw you last~”

“I’ve waited a long time, Fuyuhime,” the Meister responded with a heated glare. “It’s time you paid for what you did to my parents!”

“Ah,” Nanami, or  _ Fuyuhime,  _ hummed. “Suzu and Seiji… I haven’t thought of them in a very long time… I do remember running my blade through them, and I failed to do the same to you. But now that you’re here, I might just regain the chance to devour your soul.”

The Meister was quick to push Nanami/Fuyuhime away and she studied the girl. “That’s definitely Fuyuhime’s voice,” she calculated. “But how is she controlling that girl?”

“Soul Possession,” Shirayuki informed, her image appearing on the blade. “It’s the opposite of Soul Resonance. Rather than both Meister and Weapon coming together, the Weapon takes possession of the Meister. Very few Weapons are capable of this technique. The Blade of Eternal Winter happens to be one of them.”

“So what do we do?”

“She may be powerful, but she can’t control two souls at once. You need to use Soul Force onto the girl. That way, Fuyuhime will be forced to lose her grip. After that, leave the rest to me.”

Kyouka hesitated a moment before caving in. “Okay… I trust you…”

_ ‘You don’t need to lie, Kyouka,’  _ the demon katana thought to herself.  _ ‘But lie or no… I promised Suzu-san I’d protect you… And that’s what I’m going to do….’ _

The Meister then ran forward and clashed blades with the possessed girl in four strikes. Kyouka had to admit, had Nanami not have been possessed, the girl wouldn’t have stood a chance at a more experienced katana wielder. But since Fuyuhime had possession of the girl, Nanami almost looked like a natural warrior.

Kyouka let her sword be held in her left hand while her right hand sparked with lightning. Fuyuhime saw this and hummed.

_ Winter Demon _

At this, a large demon in ice armor appeared behind the girl and managed to strike Kyouka on her shoulder.

“Kyouka!” Shirayuki said in worry as her Meister held her shoulder.

“I’m fine,” the girl gritted out. “Just have to focus and wait for an opening.”

Fuyuhime simply chuckled at this with a cold smile.

* * *

_ Death Room _

The group hastily entered the Death Room and saw Lord Death with Dazai, Chuuya, Kouyou, and Konjaki.

“Lord Death!” Atsushi said as he rushed forward to the staff members. “Lord Death, why did you let Kyouka and Shirayuki take the mission of hunting the Blade of Eternal Winter!?”

The staff turned to the group of students and Dazai was the first to speak. “Well, hey, kiddos,” he greeted nonchalantly, only to be elbowed by Chuuya to shut him up.

“First off, you guys need to calm down,” the ginger said. “They volunteered to do this mission.”

“But why? Why would they--”

“Because they have a score to settle with Fuyuhime.”

Everyone turned to see Stein enter the room.

“Dr. Stein?” Atsushi asked in disbelief.

“Hold up, what the hell do you mean they have a score to settle?” Tachihara demanded. “They never mentioned anything about settling a score with the Blade of Eternal Winter!”

“I think it would be best if you all just watched the fight to better understand all of this,” the doctor said simply as he watched the mirror with the rest of the staff. The group only reluctantly stayed put and watched as well.

Kyouka was having a hard time. Battling two people at once wasn’t exactly easy, especially when the other is the entity of a powerful demon weapon.

She clashed her blade twice with the possessed Nanami, and twice with the Winter Demon that guarded the girl.  _ ‘I have to wait for an opening if I want to use Soul Force,’  _ she thought to herself.

Fuyuhime/Nanami got into a stance as the Winter Demon hovered behind her after the Meister leaped back a good distance from her. “It’s time for you to join your beloved mother and father,” she said. 

“Look out, Kyouka!” Shirayuki warned after noticing the stance. “She’s going to combine her attack with the Winter Demon’s!”

Kyouka flinched as she raised her katana to guard.

_ Winter Demon Thrust! _

With the combined swords, Fuyuhime/Nanami and the Winter Demon both thrust their swords and a glacier of ice shot out like a spear to strike the Meister, who blocked it with her own sword. The ice was shaved as it continued to move forward against the blade.  _ ‘This should give me an opening,’  _ the Meister thought to herself.

Fuyuhima smirked. 

_ Ice Branch _

Small shards of ice spiked up and pierced Kyouka’s body, causing her to gasp out in pain before the shards released her and she nearly fell to her knees.

“Such a shame,” Fuyuhime commented. “What did Kouyou waste all of her time teaching you for?”

Kyouka glared at the possessed girl. “I’m not done yet!” she growled. “I still have enough strength to defeat you!”

“Do you?” the Blade of Eternal Winter asked. “You’re so blinded by your own rage that you haven’t even bothered to look at your hands.”

The Meister got confused before finally feeling the stinging pain of her weapon burning her hand.

“Soul Rejection?” Atsushi asked in shock. “But why? Kyouka and Shirayuki are in perfect sync!”

“Didn’t you learn the first time from Stein reading your souls?” Kouyou asked as she watched. “Kyouka doesn’t trust Shirayuki entirely. She doesn’t realize that she can’t defeat the Blade of Eternal Winter on her own.”

“Shirayuki… What are you doing?” Kyouka demanded. “Why are you rejecting me!?”

“........ I’m not one rejecting you, Kyouka,” Shirayuki said truthfully. “You’re rejecting me.”

The Meister looked down at her weapon in shock.

“You can’t stop Fuyuhime,” the demon katana said. “There is a way to defeat her, but it isn’t from the outside. But you don’t trust me, like you said you did.” She gave her Meister a solemn expression. “You don’t need to lean on me, but that won’t change what I said. I promised Suzu-san I would protect you, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

The blue haired girl stared at her partner in disbelief before the grip on her katana relaxed and the burning stopped. “Okay… okay…” Her grip returned before she pointed her blade at Fuyuhime. “Blade of Eternal Winter, Fuyuhime… I am Kyouka Izumi… I like crepes and tofu… My favorite animal is the rabbit…. I have killed 35 Kishin eggs…” Her blue eyes hardened. “You’re going to be number 36…”

Fuyuhime frowned at this. “Fine.... I’ll be sure to give you a quick death…”

The Winter Demon roared before rushing forward and delivering a quick slash, only to see Kyouka jumped through the air and landed on the statue. Fuyuhime/Nanami then leaped up with the sword raised and the demon behind her.

“Now, Shirayuki!” Kyouka called.

“Right!” Shirayuki responded.

_ “Let’s go! Soul Resonance!” _

Their souls came together and Kyouka’s body glowed before a phantom appeared behind her to grab her blade to clash with Nanami and the Winter Demon.

_ “Demon Snow!” _

Fuyuhime looked on in shock at these turn of events.

“I’ll do anything to defeat you,” Shirayuki said in determination. “You ran straight into an attack without even thinking of the consequences, and now Kyouka has you.”

The Blade of Eternal Winter grit her teeth at this. “Winter Demon!”

The demon roared as he moved to strike Kyouka, but the Meister quickly leaped into the air with lightning forming in her hand. “Time to separate you two!” she said before he struck the girl. “Soul Force!”

A surge of electricity engulfed Fuyuhime, and she tried to fight back against it. Unfortunately, she was forced to release her grip on her puppet, and Nanami returned to normal as the frost left her the moment she let go of the sword.

“Shirayuki!” Kyouka yelled as she held Nanami.

“Right!” the demon katana said before shifting into her human form, causing the phantom to vanish. She reached forward in the air and caught the sword with ease. She closed her yellow eyes and gave a sad smile as Kyouka watched on.  _ ‘Thank you, Kyouka. I’ll be back.’ _

Fuyuhime was confused before she smirked. “I see,” she said. “You’re trying to come inside, aren’t you?”

Both girls landed on their feet as Shirayuki knelt down on the ground.  _ ‘From this point forward, this is my fight,’  _ she thought to herself before she felt a strong pulse of power within her. She grit her teeth as her eyes turned black and her body became covered in frost before screaming out as the sword took over her.

“What’s Shirayuki doing?” Tanizaki asked worriedly.

“She’s going inside the Blade of Eternal Winter,” Stein explained calmly.

“Why would Shirayuki do that?” Atsushi asked, equally as worried as the demon mirror.

Akutagawa narrowed his eyes. “What on earth is she thinking?” he mumbled. “How can the weapon fight without the Meister?”

“You don’t get it,” Lord Death said. “The fight is taking place inside their souls. Anything can happen now. It had to come to this. You see, Shirayuki is the only one who can stand against the Blade of Eternal Winter.”

Kyouka stared down at the unconscious demon katana with a firm look. “Shirayuki,” she mumbled. “You’re in. Make sure you come back.”

* * *

Within the Blade of Eternal Winter, a blue moon was dripping frozen blood and Shirayuki stood within a plain covered in snow. Her yellow eyes looked around as she searched for the Kishin egg.

“Where are you?” she mumbled. “I know what you’re going to do. You’ll come after my soul, and try to possess it."

“Soul Possession?” a familiar voice said. “No. Not that. I think I’ll devour your soul just as it is.”

Shirayuki turned to glare at Fuyuhime, who hid her face with an umbrella and stood at a distance beside a frozen tree.

“It’s so nice to see you again,” she said before lifting the umbrella up to reveal white hair in a bun and yellow eyes. “Shirayuki~”

The demon katana gave a rather solemn smile. “Hello, Mother…” A blue light took a shape of Shirayuki’s katana form before she gripped it into her hands.

Ice started shifting into Fuyuhime’s hand before it became her own blade. The two stared at each other as the younger unsheathed her katana and let the sheath fall onto the snowy ground before getting into a stance.

“Ready…?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Suzu and Seiji are the names of IRL Kyouka Izumi's parents. In BSD canon, Kyouka's parents weren't given a name, so naturally I assumed those would be their names.
> 
> Next chapter will be some family drama! With a hint of sword fighting!


	11. Demon Snow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shirayuki battles the Blade of Eternal Winter, Fuyuhime...

Kyouka stared down at Shirayuki’s unconscious body as the rain poured down on them. People started gathering around as the old woman held onto her unconscious granddaughter.

“What’s happened to Nanami?” the old man Kyouka talked to before questioned in worry.

The Meister didn’t move to look at the old man, instead choosing to sit on her knees as she watched her weapon partner closely. “She’s recovering from Soul Possession,” she explained, making the villagers turn to her in confusion. “My weapon is handling the woman who possessed her. In order for her to do so, I request that you don’t disturb her under any circumstances.”

_ ‘Shirayuki, I’m putting my trust in you to defeat the Blade of Eternal Winter. Just make sure you come back…’ _

* * *

Within the blade, Shirayuki charged forward and swung her blade at Fuyuhime, only for the elder weapon to counter it with her own sword and quickly discard her umbrella to grab the younger weapon by the throat to lift her up.

“You’re not as strong as I had hoped you would be,” Fuyuhime commented. “What’s wrong, dear? I know you didn’t come in just to visit. So why are you holding back?”

The younger demon weapon struggled to raise her sword only to be slammed into the snowy ground face first.

"Your bond with Kyouka is just like your namesake," the elder demon weapon said. "Snow. Always cold to the touch despite its beauty, and never having an ounce of color. It gives no meaning and when it melts, it melts in pathetic silence. Such a pity."

Shirayuki flinched when her mother’s blade pressed to her side before gasping out in pain as she was kicked into the air, the blade slicing through her side as it happened. The girl landed into the snow and her blood soaked into it, turning it red.

“Consider yourself lucky,” Fuyuhime said. “If this had been in the real world, you would surely be dead by now.”

Shirayuki took deep breaths as she tried to will herself to ignore the pain.

* * *

“Why is Shirayuki the only one who can stop the Blade of Eternal Winter?” Atsushi demanded haughtily. “I don’t understand!”

Dazai sighed. “Atsushi-kun…,” he said before glancing at his student. “The Blade of Eternal Winter is Shirayuki’s mother.”

The group’s eyes widened in shock, save for Akutagawa and Gin.

“Wait, seriously!?” Tachihara asked in shock. “That’s Shirayuki’s mom!?”

“No way,” Kenji said in awe. “And she’s close to being a Kishin?”

“Why are you amazed by that part!?” Tanizaki scolded his Meister.

“How… Who exactly is the Blade of Eternal Winter?” Atsushi mumbled to himself.

“Fuyuhime, Shirayuki, and Konjiki are from the Yasha clan,” Stein explained. “They are a clan of demon katanas with the ability to conjure up phantoms when they perform Soul Resonance with their Meisters. A tradition among them is that whichever Meister’s soul matches theirs, the next generation after them is bound to match as well. Kyouka’s parents, Suzu and Seiji Izumi, were veteran Meisters, and Fuyuhime was partnered with Suzu when they were both students of the academy.”

“Fuyuhime is known as one of the Four Seasonal Blades,” Konjiki added. “Each blade has a special power connecting to the four seasons, and Fuyuhime has the power of winter.”

“Wait, what happened to make her want to become a Kishin?” Tanizaki asked.

“For whatever reason, Fuyuhime became infected with madness four years ago,” the scientist explained. “She had tried to ignore it at first, even kept it quiet, but the madness eventually devoured her mind. In trying to ignore the call of madness, she ended up killing her own Meister and several others within the household as they were having a family get together. Kyouka was about to be next, but Shirayuki was able to protect her from her own mother just in time for Konjaki and Kouyou to arrive. Fuyuhime escaped their grasp, and no one ever heard from her again.”

“Hold on, if Shirayuki protected Kyouka, why does Kyouka hate her so much?” the witch boy asked.

“Resentment,” Konjiki answered, making everyone turn to her. “Fuyuhime was Suzu’s weapon partner, her sister in arms… And it’s because of Fuyuhime’s betrayal that Kyouka grew to resent Shirayuki, convinced that she would do the same.”

“And it’s because of Kyouka’s resentment that she’s forgotten that Shirayuki protected her,” Chuuya added.

“Resentment can do a lot to a person,” Dazai said. “Kyouka just never learned to let her own resentment go.”

The group looked to the Akutagawa siblings and they both looked away.

“We didn’t see it happen,” the elder said. “But it isn’t a secret of what happened to the Izumi family.”

Everyone stayed silent before Atsushi looked towards Stein. “So, what exactly is going on inside the sword?” he asked.

Stein took a quick drag of his cigarette before blowing out some smoke. “Lord Death said that the fight is taking place inside their souls,” he said. “Right now, Fuyuhime is trying to take possession of Shirayuki’s soul, and in retaliation, Shirayuki is trying to absorb her mother’s soul. The fight will continue until one soul wins over the other.”

* * *

Shirayuki ran forward to her mother, and Fuyuhime easily blocked her daughter’s strikes with her sword.

“Listen very carefully, Shirayuki,” the Blade of Eternal Winter said. “I’m going to tell you what I learned from the madness that infected my mind.”

When the younger weapon stumbled in her strike, she was struck in the shoulder, causing her to yell out in pain.

“Weapons are no more than  _ slaves, _ ” Fuyuhime growled before kicking the girl away, sending her tumbling. “Our only purpose is to become shields for Meisters, who can never defend themselves on their own!”

Shirayuki looked up from her position on the snowy ground as her mother walked towards her.

“Meisters are nothing more than a burden, holding Weapons back from reaching their full potential. As such, I decided to free myself of my burden.” Fuyuhime pressed her blade against her daughter’s cheek. “However, there are still many weapons who would rather be content as shields than be free. You and my foolish sister are the prime examples of that.”

Shirayuki only stared at her mother solemnly as her cheek was cut. Fuyuhime grit her teeth.

“Such foolishness,” she said bitterly. “If I had known the truth sooner, I would never have become Suzu’s weapon, much less allowed her to name you!”

The Winter Demon appeared behind the woman as she stared down at her daughter.

“Shirayuki, my dearest daughter… I’m going to kill you, and I will become a Kishin. And when I do… I shall eliminate all Meisters from the face of the earth.”

_ Winter Demon _

Shirayuki was picked up by the demon, struggling in its icy grasp as she was held in front of Fuyuhime.

Kyouka continued to watch Shirayuki as the rain poured down on them.

_ ‘Shirayuki… Do you remember the day my parents died? I still do. That memory has never left my mind. Not even once.’ _

* * *

_ Four years ago… _

Suzu gave a content sigh as she watched Kyouka and Shirayuki play ball together before going back to serving everyone drinks.

“Oh, look at those two,” one of the guests cooed at the girls. “It seems like only yesterday that they were small babies, and now look how big they’ve gotten!”

“Yeah, and once they get old enough to join the academy, they’ll no doubt be partners, just like Suzu and Fuyuhime,” another guest commented.

Seiji smiled as he watched his wife conversing with the guests and his child playing with her friend. “Isn’t it wonderful, Fuyuhime?” he asked the weapon as she slowly walked towards him. “Kyouka and Shirayuki have bonded so well. It really fills my heart with joy.”

Suzu gave a smile as she handed her husband some tea. “They’ll be strong once their souls resonate, huh?” she said.

“Yes, it’s a wonderful thought,” he agreed with his wife.

“I’m glad you feel such joy,” Fuyuhime said monotonously. “I’m glad… I can let you feel this… One last time…”

Seiji and Suzu looked at her in confusion.

“Fuyuhime, what do you…”

Seiji grunted as a blade was stuck into his torso and he looked down to see Fuyuhime’s blade hand sticking into his torso, causing blood to drip from his mouth. “Fuyu… hime…” He coughed as she removed her blade hand from his torso and he fell to the ground.

“Seiji…,” Suzu said in horror, stumbling back as she watched her husband’s soul emerge from his body. All she could do was watch as her weapon grabbed his soul and then swallowed it whole.

“Fuyuhime… what are you doing?” the Meister asked fearfully.

Fuyuhime didn’t respond as she only raised her bloody blade.

Kyouka and Shirayuki blinked as they stopped playing ball when they started to hear screaming within the house, and they flinched when they saw blood splatter on the paper screens of the windows. Kyouka could hear her mother’s voice, crying out for Fuyuhime to stop. Stop what? What was Fuyuhime doing?!

Both young girls flinched as Suzu stumbled through the screen door and fell forward before fearfully looking back as Fuyuhime slowly followed her Meister, leaving dead bodies behind her. The weapon’s kimono was covered in blood, and it was also smeared across her face.

“Do not fret, Suzu,” she said in that same monotonous tone. “I won’t leave you to be a grieving widow.”

Suzu’s eyes filled with tears as her weapon, her sister in arms, raised her blade.

_ "STOP IT!!! FUYUHIME!!!" _

The plea fell on deaf ears as Suzu was pierced by the blade through her heart and the wooden floor. Fuyuhime stared down as her Meister breathed out her last words before she died. Kyouka and Shirayuki stared in horror at this, and then the former let out a small scream before it was cut off by the latter covering her mouth with her hands.

Unfortunately for them, that scream caught Fuyuhime’s attention.

“Kyouka,” she said with a small grin. “There you are, dear~” She walked towards the girls as they trembled in fear, stepping over her Meister’s corpse as she walked towards the girls. “I thought I would have to go looking for you.”

Kyouka had tears in her eyes as the weapon got closer and raised her blade hand.

“Don’t worry, little Kyouka. I won’t leave you to be a grieving orphan.”

_ She didn’t kill me that day. And I wasn’t sure why. All I knew is that she killed my parents… And I couldn’t help but blame you... _

* * *

_ Present _

“You should have let me kill her back then, Shirayuki,” Fuyuhime stated coldly as her daughter was held up by Winter Demon. “I could have set you free. Konjiki, too. I wanted to set you both free. But I see now that you both are a lost cause.”

Shirayuki continued to struggle out of the demon’s hold as she was brought closer to her mother.

“Suzu was such a burden, and I had to rid myself of that. I bet she was laughing at me behind my back, knowing that I was simply performing the duties of a weapon slave.”

The girl only glared up at the elder demon weapon as she raised her sword.

_ “Goodbye, Shirayuki.” _

Just like that, the blade went straight through her heart, causing the younger demon weapon to go limp.

* * *

Kyouka’s eyes narrowed as she stared at her weapon’s unconscious form.

_ There has to be a reason she didn’t kill me, right? What was that reason? _

** _“Will you promise to always protect Kyouka?”_ **

Blue eyes widened as she suddenly started to remember why she didn’t die that day.

_ Kyouka and Fuyuhime stared in disbelief as Shirayuki’s small blade hands were pushing the elder weapon’s blades back. Her yellow eyes held fear, but with that fear came a firm resolve. The resolve to keep her promise. _

** _Shirayuki reached out to Suzu before connecting her pinky with her own. “I promise.”_ **

_ “Shirayuki,” Fuyuhime growled, “what do you think you’re doing?” _

_ The younger didn’t respond and just kept pushing the woman back, causing the elder to become furious. _

_ “Damn you, insolent child!!” _

_ Shirayuki yelped as she was then kicked away, causing Kyouka to flinch as the blade was raised to strike her again. In the distance, Kouyou ran before unsheathing her katana and clashing blades with Fuyuhime, causing the latter to jump back. _

_ Konjiki’s image appeared in the blade and she looked at the corpses in shock. “What have you done, Fuyuhime!?” she demanded. _

_ The Blade of Eternal Winter simply stared at her sister with a cold look in her eyes before beginning to fade away into snowflakes. _

** _“Farewell, sister.”_ **

_ ‘I remember now,’  _ Kyouka thought as she had tears in her eyes from guilt.  _ ‘You protected me from Fuyuhime that day. And all I did in return was push you away. You were always there for me… And I was so ungrateful because I blamed you for my parents death…’ _

“Do you see, Shirayuki,” Fuyuhime said as she held her child close to her. “Your bond with Kyouka is meaningless. And she will never shed a tear for you. Like a snowflake, you will melt in silence.”

Kyouka leaped forward and held Shirayuki close to her, despite the latter’s body being cold to the touch.

“I’m sorry!” she cried. “I’m sorry I’ve been so cruel to you! I promise to be a better Meister! Just please…”

_ Please don’t leave me! _

Shirayuki’s body remained still, but when Kyouka’s soul finally reached out to hers, the weapon regained her consciousness and spoke out. “You’re wrong…”

Fuyuhime was shocked to see that her daughter was still alive before throwing her across the snow, the younger sword landing on her feet.

“You’re wrong!” Shirayuki yelled. “You're wrong! You’re wrong! You’re wrong!  _ You’re wrong!  _ Weapons have never been slaves to Meisters! They depend on each other! Suzu-san never thought of you as a slave! You were her partner! She loved you!” She gripped the hilt of her katana tightly. “And you know nothing about me and Kyouka! I don’t care if she hates me. I promised Suzu-san that I would protect her no matter what, and I’m going to keep it!”

_ I will defeat you!! _

Fuyuhime grit her teeth before she let out an inhuman scream as several Winter Demons emerged from the snow and began to lunge at Shirayuki.

“Demon Snow!” the younger demon weapon called and Demon Snow appeared behind her as they sliced through several Winter Demons, leaving behind a trail of blood scattered upon the snow.

Fuyuhime grit her teeth and let out another inhuman scream as nearly thousands of Winter Demons appeared from beneath the snow, and a harsh blizzard started to blow around them. The younger demon weapon and her phantom continued to slice through the rest of the demons as they rushed forward to the Blade of Eternal Winter. Demon Snow allowed her master to jump into its arms before it threw her into the air and she pointed her blade down at the woman.

Fuyuhime raised her blade as Shirayuki readied her own before a bright light burst between when they came together.

* * *

Shirayuki, in her unconscious state, raised her head before her body began to merge within the blade in her hands. Kyouka stared in disbelief before her weapon was no longer within her vision.

“......Yuki…..”

Everyone in the Death Room stared in disbelief at the turn of events.

“What happened?” Tanizaki asked worriedly. “Did Shirayuki-chan fail?”

“No way,” Atsushi said in shock. “She couldn’t have….”

Kyouka grabbed a stick and started poking at the katana on the ground. “Yuki,” she said fearfully. “Come on, this isn’t funny! Come out of there! Come on! You can’t be gone! I’m sorry! I said I was sorry! I’m begging you! Please  _ don’t leave me! _ ”

* * *

Shirayuki sat on her knees with the Blade of Eternal Winter stuck in her chest, and her mother stood before her.

“I remembered something from that day… Suzu’s last words to me she died,” Fuyuhime said solemnly. “She told me… she was sorry… I had no idea what she was talking about. I never bothered trying to figure out what she meant by that…”

The younger demon weapon opened her yellow eyes to see her mother fading away along with the snow that flew in the air. Shirayuki stared in sadness as she realized that her mother was going to be reduced into a Kishin egg. “Fuyuhime…”

But rather than having a defeated look, Fuyuhime only had on a smile.

“I finally understand now,” she said. “It’s too late for me. But you? This is only the beginning.”

_ I’m so proud of you, Shirayuki. _

Shirayuki had on a sad look as what remained of Fuyuhime’s smiling face faded along with the snow.

_ “Farewell, my dear snowflake.” _

The demon katana watched as the snowflakes merged together to form a Kishin egg, and she reached out to touch before bringing it into her arms. 

“Mother,” she said as she started to cry.

* * *

Kyouka continued to frantically poke at the sword before stopping as it began to glow into the blue aura that she became familiar with and her weapon partner stood before her. Blue eyes met yellow, and Shirayuki smiles.

“Hello, Kyouka…”

Kyouka then broke down into tears and jumped up to hug her partner tightly.

“I’m sorry!” she cried as Shirayuki returned her embrace. “Sorry…”

The demon weapon simply smiled as she held her Meister. “It’s okay…. I won’t leave…”

“Promise?”

_ “Promise.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Yasha Clan:
> 
> A clan of demon katanas with the ability to conjure up a phantom when they perform a Soul Resonance with their Meister. A tradition among the clan is that the new generation of the Yasha clan would match with the new generation of their Meister, therefore continuing the cycle.
> 
> Among the clan members are those with the power of the four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. Fuyuhime Yasha was known as the Blade of Eternal Winter, and as her title is described, Fuyuhime has the power of winter the coldest season. As an example of the tradition, her daughter, Shirayuki's soul wavelength matched with Kyouka Izumi, the daughter of Fuyuhime's Meister, Suzu. Should Kouyou and Konjiki ever have children of their own, this result in their children's wavelengths matching as well.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so, before making this, I discussed with a friend of mine, who's seen and read both Soul Eater and BSD, and I asked how everyone's abilities would work if they were in the Soul Eater universe. And he was very helpful with that info.
> 
> Anyway, thank you all so much for reading.
> 
> And again, Happy Halloween!


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